First, we'd like to share the news that ENAIRE is holding the 'Human Factor Days' congress online until October 1st. They're partnering with EUROCONTROL, FAA, Austro Control and Aprocata, the professional air traffic controllers association. The goal of the event is to inspire and raise awareness about human factors and human performance in air traffic control.
When it comes to the future of air travel, it's always exciting to look at the progress of eVTOL. Recently, the Think team visited the VRCO headquarters to discuss the progress of their x4 eVTOL and their Future of Flight Simulator. Here's the full story so you can find out more.
There's exciting news from the US as NASA transfers ATM tool updates to the FAA. The technology that NASA uses to plan space flight will now also be used in the world of commercial aviation to better plan more direct gate-to-gate resources. The objective is to remove the need for taxiing and waiting for clearance to take off; rather, planes will leave the gate and go straight to take off.
Finally, it's interesting to see South Korea taking a lead on unmanned urban mobility. Indeed, the Korean Transport Ministry recently published a white paper stating that the first services will launch in 2025. We don't have long to wait it seems!
ANSP news
All civil and military air traffic controllers to use the same system to manage Belgian airspace - MUAC, the Belgian Ministry of Defence and skeyes are jointly developing a new air traffic management system, known as the Shared Air Traffic Services System 3 (SAS3), that is expected to become operational by 2027. The three partners signed an agreement to this effect today. This development will make air traffic control in Belgium even safer and more efficient.
ENAIRE celebrates "Human Factor Days" to analyse the relationship between technology and personal skills - ENAIRE is holding the "Human Factor Days" congress online until 1 October, with EUROCONTROL, FAA, Austro Control and Aprocta, the professional air traffic controllers association. This event seeks to inspire and raise awareness about human factors and human performance through a contemporary approach to operational safety applied to air traffic management.
Market news
Exploring The Possibilities of UAM - Think Research - The Think team recently had the pleasure of visiting the VRCO headquarters to discuss the progress of their x4 eVTOL and their Future of Flight Simulator. Think has got the simulator at their HQ so that they can start help their clients explore possibilities which UAM has to offer.
France Aviation Civile Services and ALMAZ Aviation launch ATD Analytics - France Aviation Civile Services, a consulting and expertise office created by the DGAC and ENAC, in order to promote the know-how of French Civil Aviation and ALMAZ Aviation, a start-up specializing in the development of analytical platforms in the aviation industry, have combined their skills to develop together “ATD Analytics” platform.
ADB SAFEGATE completes acquisition of Protec Automation - ADB SAFEGATE has acquired Protec Automation GmbH, specializing in airfield lighting control systems, power technologies and services in the field of industrial automation.
Research and innovation
Mining insights from aviation’s data mountain - Egis - The amount of data produced by businesses doubles roughly every two years and aviation is no exception. In fact, the aviation sector has always been at the forefront of digitalisation and produces petabytes of data that is mined to create new opportunities for innovation – these innovations normally produce even more data to unlock even more opportunities!
Shining a light on resilience and safety in air traffic management - SESAR Joint Undertaking - It is perhaps fitting that SESAR JU partners chose the Spanish word for lighthouse, FARO, as the name for their project. As Christian Verdonk Gallego, FARO Project Manager from CRIDA, explains, the project is hoping to shine a light on how changes in air traffic management systems can impact safety and resilience.
Transforming concepts into prototypes: a SESAR JU project’s innovation story - SESAR JU - How do you go from having a great idea and concept to producing something that is tangible and beneficial for air traffic operations? That is a question that the SESAR JU DYNCAT is seeking to answer through its work to develop more environmentally sustainable operations in the TMA. In this Q&A, DYNCAT’s work package 3 leader, Johan Boyer from Thales, describes what it takes to build specific prototypical functionalities for aircraft systems from a conceptual idea.
NASA Transfers ATM Tool Updates to FAA - Air Traffic Management participated in the press briefing by the NASA, FAA and respective airports discussing the outcomes of this great program. The technology that NASA has been using to plan space flight will now be transitioned into the world of commercial aviation to better plan more direct gate-to-gate routes. The goal is to leave the gate and go directly to take off without having to spend time taxiing and waiting for clearance to take off.
Eurocae issues call for participation in UAS working group activities relating to regulatory compliance and safety - Unmanned airspace - EUROCAE has launched a Call for Participation to inform interested parties about new activities undertaken by Working Group 105 Unmanned Aircraft Systems. In the first call, a guidance document is proposed to be developed in Sub Group 4 Design and Airworthiness with the title ‘Guidance Document to Support the Development of Acceptable Means of Compliance when the EASA Special Condition Light-UAS – Medium Risk is Used as Type Certification Basis’.
Hungary aims to take leading role in the application of drone technology - The main topics of the 3rd Hungarian Drone Conference and Expo were the initiatives and innovations of the domestic drone industry, the issues of traffic management of unmanned aerial vehicles, and the current state of drone regulation in Hungary. Hundreds took part in the joint event organized by HungaroControl, the Digital Welfare Programme and the Hungarian Drone Coalition in Budapest.
EASA publishes a new revision of the Easy Access Rules for Drones publication - Unmanned airspace - EASA has published a new version of its “Easy Access Rules for Drones” publication. This Revision from September 2021 updates the Easy Access Rules for Drones based on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1166 amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 as regards postponing the date of application for European standard scenarios.
