Tullamarine International Airport

The Tullamarine International Airport is also known as the Melbourne International Airport or the Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport. Locals prefer to call it Melbourne Airport or just Tullamarine. The Tullamarine International Airport is located approximately 25 kilometers from Melbourne, and is second to the Sydney International Airport, in regard to air traffic and passenger traffic. [...]

NASA Commissions Study on Impact of Advanced Aircraft

Earlier this week NASA awarded a $12 million grant to two companies who are to study the impact that a variety of new aircraft have on the nation’s air traffic control system. The two companies, Raytheon and Sensis, have each received $6 million contracts to conduct the necessary research.

FAA’s New En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) Program

The implementation date for the FAA’s new En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) program has been set for 29 June 2008. ERAM will replace the En Route Host computer processing systems currently in use at twenty Air Route Traffic Control Centers, making this the largest National Airspace System (NAS) equipment replacement program in the history of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Boeing and Airbus Advocate Better Air Traffic Control

While aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus are usually fierce competitors, they joined forces at Geneva recently during part of a pledge to cooperate in working towards improving environmental issues related to the industry.

Litchford: Aviation Inventor and Pioneer

Over the years, aviation has seen many pioneers and inventors influence the industry greatly. Paving the way forward with nothing more than a vision or a dream, these seemingly ordinary people set aviation on a path of improvement, develop new technology and create a safer industry. Just recently, aviation said good-bye to one of its more recent aviation legends, George B. Litchford Sr., who patented an invention in 1988 that would go on to save countless lives.

Eur Avia Cannes 2008

Cannes, in France, is generally known for the popular Cannes Film Festival, but in the aviation industry it is beginning to gain recognition for its aviation exhibition, the Eur Avia Cannes. This year, the Eur Avia Cannes 2008 will be held between the 2nd to the 4th of May 2008 and is set to be an exhibition of magnificent proportions. Organizers and the success of last year’s exhibition have ensured that this year will be bigger and better in all aspects.

The Next Generation Air Traffic System

A recent New York Times article focused on the issue of replacing our current air traffic system. Much of the technology used today was developed during World War II when there were far fewer airplanes in the sky than now. It’s a huge credit to air traffic controllers that flying is as safe as it is.

Flying Solo for the First Time

I was terrified to take my first solo flight a few years ago. Sure, I worried about my personal safety, but mostly I was afraid of embarrassing myself. What if I bent the airplane? I thought of all the students before me who had managed to keep it in one piece. Leave it to me to make the Big Mistake. Death would have almost been preferable.

Air Traffic Control in Your Own Home

If you enjoy listening to pilots speaking with the tower when you’re on a commercial flight, the Internet now allows you to do the same thing from home. In any search engine, enter Air Traffic Control Live Feed and you’ll find sites from which you can download live audio feeds. You’ll need Real Player to listen but you can download it free from these websites. Some also provide maps of the airports. Tune into Sydney, Calgary, Hong Kong, or other locales and follow along as pilots land and takeoff in airplanes of all types.

FAA Announces Next Generation of ATC

By 2014, all airplanes will be monitored in the United States using global satellite positioning instead of the radar system currently used. Known as the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system, or ADS-B, the new system is expected to be safer and more cost efficient than existing air and ground traffic control technology. UPS, Australia, and the FAA have been successfully testing it for years.