Aviation International News has an outstanding wrap-up of the state of flight management systems (FMS) that offer easy pilot control and core capabilities that set the stage for performance-based navigation (PBN). Flight management systems have never been considered simple pieces of equipment, but the technology is quickly evolving beyond basic navigation and performance functionality to [...]
Posts Tagged as ‘WAAS’
December 6, 2008
NetJets, FAA sign NextGen agreement
From Aviation Week: NetJets Aviation Inc. has signed a wide ranging agreement with the FAA that will place the fractional jet operator in the forefront of the transformation of the U.S. air transportation system under the NextGen modernization program. NetJets officials and FAA managers from a range of the agency’s functional areas will meet later [...]
November 6, 2008
Explainer: Wide Area Augmentation System
Do you know exactly what WAAS is, and what sets it apart from regular GPS? Could you explain it in a few sentences? If not, this FAA fact sheet is for you. Clearly written, and also includes a brief history of how WAAS was developed and deployed. Interesting tidbit: according to the FAA, WAAS approaches [...]
October 11, 2008
$88 million goes to Raytheon for WAAS
The FAA has announced it will exercise its option to retain Raytheon Corp. for follow-on services related to the Wide Area Augemntation System (WAAS). As this award announcement lays out, the company will be paid $88 million for hardware and software upgrades, and additional engineering support meant to specifically improve so-called LPV-200 service (Localizer Performance [...]
October 9, 2008
NOAA adds high-resolution GPS tracking stations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports it has brought 43 GPS tracking stations online, including 13 sites that will feed the WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) network. Four of the new WAAS sites are located in Alaska, four in Canada, and five in Mexico. The NOAA’s release explains: WAAS provides differential GPS correctors for safe [...]
September 2, 2008
More from Oshkosh: Sturgell sees controller workload easing
As I mentioned earlier, Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell took questions about air traffic control and NextGen issues at last week’s AirVenture event. While a transcript isn’t available, AIN Online did have some additional quotes and insight in their report from Oshkosh. Sturgell characterized the nation’s ATC system as being: in a “transition” phase as [...]
August 2, 2008
FAA’s Sturgell on NextGen: “We’re making solid progress”
A dispatch from Oshkosh, courtesy of Aero-News Network, quotes Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell on NextGen: “I can say that we’re making solid progress. The foundational technologies are either already in place or will be soon enough. They include WAAS, which provides increased airport access in reduced visibility conditions. We’ve published over 1,000 WAAS LPV [...]
