Parts Manufacturing for eRouter Gets FAA Approval

October 17, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Parts Manufacturing Aprroval Granted by FAASupplemental Type Certificate (STC) has been received from the FAA for ICG and Chicago Jet Group to develop and install ICG’s latest eRouter aircraft data management system on the Dassault Falcon 900 business jet. Hailed as the ‘best in class’, the eRouter promises to deliver enhanced cabin connectivity and high-speed data transfer.

ICG has also been granted Parts Manufacturing Authority (PMA) for the ERT-120.

The router is the lightest and smallest certified product in its class and is capable of multiple connections to networks such as Inmarsat SwiftBroadband and Iridium.

“We designed the eRouter with a modular architecture that makes it easy to expand its capabilities and adapt to varied systems and advancing technologies,” said ICG’s Executive Vice President, Brad Smith.

With provision of airborne connectivity to Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) the eRouter can deliver efficiencies on the flight deck with the addition of cabin connectivity for passengers and cabin crew for use of tablet PCs and Smartphone technology at speeds comparable with those on the ground.

“The eRouter’s modular architecture also reduces costs by offering operators only those services they might currently require, yet providing a forward upgrade path for future and emerging requirements,” Smith continued. “It has a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows operators to install updates in the field and permits many configuration options and flexibility to tailor the functionality to an operator’s specific needs.”

Integrated Passenger Processing & Baggage Systems for Indian Airports

October 17, 2014
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Other Improved Passenger Processing Solutions ProvidersThe Airports Authority of India (AAI) has announced that 25 airports across the country can now handle their 50 million passengers more efficiently and easily with the installation of new integrated passenger processing and baggage handling systems.

In a collaboration with SITA, the AAI have deployed common-use, self-service solutions as a part of a considerable program for modernisation of the airports across India. The baggage systems will be installed in 38 airports and it is hoped that they will reduce baggage mishandling by 10-20%.

“Our airport modernization program is designed to provide better service both for passengers and airlines alike as air travel in India continues to grow,” said Mr. Sudhir Raheja, Chairman of the Airports Authority of India. “With passenger numbers expected to reach 450 million by 2020, we need to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible. SITA’s baggage systems, common use technology, and self-service check in kiosks are flexible, convenient and will help establish a firm foundation for future growth”.

The baggage reconciliation systems will be integrated into the AAI airports over the next seven years and will utilise the latest technology for CUPPS, CUSS and CUTE systems.

U.N. Approval for New Rules to Track Foreign Fighters

October 14, 2014
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Worldwide Passenger Data Transfer ProvidersThe U.N. Security Council have called for new measures to help curb the movement of potential terrorists. Drafted by the U.S. the measures received unanimous approval from the Security Council, who intend to clamp down on funding and recruitment opportunities amongst the militant groups.

U.S. President, Mr Barack Obama said that it is believed that around 15,000 fighters have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State or Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliated group, from more than 80 nations. Speaking about the crisis at an unusual Security Council session, Mr Obama said, “The tactic of terrorism is not new. What brings us together today, what is new, is the unprecedented flow of fighters in recent years to and from conflict zones, including Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Libya, and most recently, Syria and Iraq.”

Strengthened steps will be taken to prevent suspected foreign terrorist fighters from entering their territories or passing through borders. Part of the plan is the widespread provision of Advance Passenger Information (API), currently mandatory in the U.S. and spreading throughout the world.

Mandatory provision of API, which includes passenger details, destination countries and methods of payment in some cases, can help governments and border agencies to track the movements of travellers, thus indicating potential high-risk passengers for further investigation. The resolution also includes a strengthening of the legal framework for international action by the suggestion of a passage of legislation that can give countries greater flexibility for the prosecution of suspected foreign fighters.

The U.N. have also encouraged member states to be more co-operative with information-sharing.

“Foreign terrorist fighters increase the intensity, duration and intractability of conflicts, and also may pose a serious threat to their states of origin, the states they transit and the states to which they travel,” the resolution said. More efficient methods of sharing information is what is called for to discourage recruitment, organisation and financing of terrorist movements and the aim of the resolution is to make this as difficult as possible.

Nextant Remanufactured Business Jets in UK for the First Time

October 14, 2014
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First UK Remanufactured Business Aircraft DeliveredThe world’s only remanufactured business jet, the Nextant 400XTi is being delivered to the UK, the maker, Nextant Aerospace has announced this week. The aircraft will be operated by SaxonAir, Norwich-based business jet operators and exclusive UK sales representatives for Nextant.

Although six other 400XTi’s have been delivered to Europe, this is the first to come to the UK and it is hoped that the UK charter market will benefit from the addition as the aircraft can fly non-stop from London to any European city faster than any other in its class. The greater part of the European fleet operated in excess of 80-90 monthly hour and is a strong revenue generator.

Chris Mace, Group Commercial Director for SaxonAir Group said, “The 400XTi’s range allows our customers direct travel anywhere in Europe for considerably less than any other light jet and without sacrificing performance or comfort. The aircraft allows us to offer the productivity benefits of business aviation to whole new customer segments.”

Remanufacturing is growing stronger in Europe as operators focus on financial aspects. Other benefits include reduced environmental impact of remanufacture, compared to the manufacture of new products. In the U.S. the remanufacturing industry is worth around $50 billion, with yearly growth expectations of around 15%.

“There has been a lot of talk in Parliament and in the press about the benefits of remanufacturing,” continued Mr. Mace. “The 400XTi is proof of concept. The 400XTi performs like a new-build aircraft by every meaningful metric but costs a fraction as much to own and operate. That delivers value both to our business and our customer’s bottom line.”

At half the purchase price of a new production aircraft, Nextant is pioneering the concept of remanufacture for business aviation.

Rockwell Collins Demonstrate Pro Line Fusion Capabilities

October 13, 2014
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Rockwell Collins' ARINC HFDL CapabilitiesRockwell Collins demonstrated the capability of their Pro Line Fusion flight deck to be utilised as a ground control station last month as a part of a flight demonstration with the University of Iowa College of Engineering Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL).

Alex Postnikov, principle engineering manager at the Rockwell Collins Advanced Technology Center said that the aim of the flight was to ‘test the operational capability of a distributed Flight Management System using a certified digital communications link.’

The flight was conducted with a surrogate unmanned aircraft with a safety pilot onboard in order to test some of the repurposed Rockwell Collins technology for manned aircraft, with a view to applying that to unmanned aircraft.

“One of the big parts of the certification with the FAA is being able to handle lost link procedures. Today in the military world, when you lose a link, the [unmanned] aircraft essentially starts spiralling up with the hope of getting a line of sight to the radio. When it is unable to do that for some time it just flies in a straight line to the point of origin or where it is launched from,” said Postnikov. “Imagine doing something like this in the NAS. You cannot do that. The aircraft cannot just spiral up and just fly it in a straight line somewhere. So you have to follow the Standard RNP procedures, you have to use the standard navaids that are understood by everybody who flies in the NAS. That’s the piece that we believe has very strongly positioned us because the Pro Line Fusion has that capability. While this test focused on demonstrating the datalink capability, the emphasis of the September flight test was to “ensure that we can exercise our distributed Flight Management System (FMS).”

The only part of the flight test that was not automated was the take-off and landing procedures. The test team artificially broke the data link between the aircraft during the test and the modified Pro Line Fusion ground station, which was connected to the radio that was in communication with the aircraft.

Cost is a major issue with HFDL communications and Rockwell Collins are, through their acquisition of ARINC last year, offering cost effective solutions for aircraft messaging across the world, whether in manned or unmanned aircraft.

AVIATOR SwiftBroadband SATCOM for Hawaiian Airlines

October 13, 2014
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Global SwiftBroadband Providers for Flight Deck CommunicationsL2 Consulting Services, avionics engineering, integration and installation services providers, have announced a contract from Cobham SATCOM to develop the STC for AVIATOR SwiftBroadband installations for Hawaiian Airlines 767-300 series aircraft. The certification will apply for the use of ACARS Ground Gateways (AGGWs) for FANS and ACARS safety messages.

With the design phase already in action, prototype installations and certification is on track for the projected completion deadline during the first quarter of next year.

President of L2, Mark Lebovitz said, “This FANS 1 Controller Pilot Data Link Communication and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract to implement over SwiftBroadband Safety Services certification project is intended to support the FAA’s initiative to evaluate communication technologies that are expected to be viable in meeting the needs of the aviation community. We are delighted that Cobham SATCOM has entrusted our company with such a significant program to support FANS Evaluation flight trials towards meeting ICAO GOLD RCP240 requirements for support of 30/30 NM operations.”

AVIATOR SwiftBroadband is capable of delivering voice and data communications in addition to the provision of other critical services, such as aircraft tracking data, support for Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and Ethernet connectivity for devices such as the Aircraft Interface Devices (AIDs).

Biometric Security Systems Implementation for SuperCom

October 12, 2014
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Airport Systems Providers for Biometric Border SecuritySuperCom, global provider of electronic intelligence solutions has today announced that they will be implementing a high-scale National Security e-Government contract consisting of several, integrated modules. The system is intended to enhance the security of the Country’s borders and add to the economic growth.

Included in the e-Gate security system will be:

Biometric eGate for border control will be deployed at all port entry/exit points for air, sea and land to increase national security for immigration control and improve efficiency.

Biometric Visa applications will reduce processing time and aid the identification of potential security threats to the country.

Biometric Resident Identification System will implement biometric enrolment stations for the issue of ICAO-compliant resident ID cards.

Biometric e-Passport System for the issue of ICAO-standard high security e-Passports.

Providers of electronic borders solutions bring enhanced levels of efficiency to passenger processing while maintaining secure borders. The implementation of systems can help to reduce waiting times with the expedition of ‘low-risk’ travellers and the identification of potential ‘high-risk’ passenger for further investigation.

Ireland Calls for Advance Passenger Information in Joint EU Plan

October 12, 2014
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Advance Passenger Information ProvidersIreland has called for a co-ordinated push in the EU to crack down on terrorism and organised crime, following a decision with Britain to share intelligence on selected flights.

Advance Passenger Information (API) from all ports should be shared across Europe, which, according to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, ‘is a tool of proven potential’.

It has been indicated through military intelligence and information supplied to the British Government by the Garda Special Branch that Ireland has been used as a base for regular visits to Iraq and Syria by up to 30 jihadis, which has led to increased surveillance efforts in a bid to track their movements.

The minister said that the strengthening of security of national and international borders was a ‘key element in protecting our citizens from terrorist threats’ and that API exchange was a ‘major boost towards achieving that objective’.

API is transmitted electronically to the governments and border agencies of destination countries. It is usually collected at the time of booking. The U.S. operate mandatory API collection, but as yet, the system is not mandatory in other countries, although many agencies are calling for the collection of passenger data across the world to keep borders secure with the advance notification of potentially high-risk passengers.

4G Internet for Business Jets

October 11, 2014
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Other Providers of Business Aircraft Passenger ConnectivitySmartSky are ready to announce the launch of their new 4G Internet service for business jets, after developing in secret for three years.

Ryan Stone, president of SmartSky Networks is pleased to finally share the news with the aviation world and will conduct an official ‘airing’ of his new product at this month’s NBAA exhibition.

High-speed internet access on business jets is not a brand new concept, with many other communications solutions on the market, such as the end-to-end solutions delivered by industry-leader, ARINC Direct, but SmartSky 4G is being launched as ‘the nation’s first airborne 4G LTE-based technology’ and promises speeds up to 10 times faster than current systems.

Utilising air-to-ground datalink, the network will access 60MHz of spectrum, which compares with 4MHz in most in-flight internet provision.

“This is going to be really, really important,” said Stone. “We’ve been developing this in stealth mode for three years. It feels good to finally be able to share.”

SmartSky is currently selecting test clients to begin its beta testing program next year, with a view to general release to the business aviation sector in 2016 on a subscription basis. Ultimately, Mr Stone wants to see his system in commercial airliners in the future.

CISF Demand Improvements in Perimeter Security at Delhi Airport

October 10, 2014
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Perimeter Security Solutions ProvidersA recent inspection of Delhi Airport perimeter security by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has raised concerns to the point that they have refused to take over the system unless it becomes ‘totally flawless’. The system seems to be fraught with technical problems which have caused false alarms and intermittent CCTV capture.

This is not the first inspection that has failed at the airport, in spite of approximately Rs 5 crore being spent on ‘improvements’. The CISF have met with airport officials around 50 times and so far, there are no changes. This final meeting has resulted in the CISF to demand of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that either the system be deactivated or a solution finally provided for the perimeter security.

G M Siddeswara, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation had informed parliament that the system was flawless, but this is disputed by the CISF.

The CISF referred to a recent airport intrusion where perimeter security was compromised and said, “When that happened on Thursday the CISF personnel saw the intruder but the CCTV didn’t capture any image. And in case of every intrusion, CISF personnel could notice the intruder only after 15 minutes. Now we have asked BCAS to uninstall the system if DIAL cannot address the issues. The system has become a liability. The system is supposed to instantly raise alarm if someone tries to fiddle with the taut wire. Also, the camera should immediately focus on that spot without loss of time. DIAL should ensure that system doesn’t generate any false alarm.”

With current security measures tightening across airport environments all over the world, the matter must be settled with a viable solution for perimeter security implemented. The perimeter fencing is, in many cases, the first barrier to potential intrusion and critical to maintaining a secure facility.