Airbus developing ground collision alerting system
In 1977, Tenerife airport was the scene of a devastating ground collision between two 747 aircraft, the first one taking off and the other taxiing on the same runway. This remains the world’s deadliest aviation accident, claiming 583 lives. The subsequent investigation found two main causes. The first was a misunderstanding between ATC and the flight crew of the aircraft that was taking off. The second was a lack of coordination...
City Airport Manchester pioneers FID system
Manchester Barton Aerodrome in Greater Manchester has become the first airfield in the UK to gain approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a new low cost safety system which provides real-time information to air traffic staff, working in the UK’s oldest operational control tower. The system, known as a Flight Information Display (FID), looks similar in appearance to a radar screen used at large airports, but uses a low...
UK Government to extend transponder discount scheme a third time
A Department for Transport (DfT) rebate scheme designed to encourage adoption of Electronic Conspicuity (EC) see and avoid. devices, such as automatic dependant surveillance broadcast (ADSB-out), within general aviation (GA) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) communities, has been extended for a third time. The joint venture between the CAA and DfT was first launched in October 2020 with the intention of increasing the number of...
UK CAA Allow Portable ADS-B Operation
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has cleared portable Electronic Conspicuity (EC) devices to transmit ADS-B data on 1090MHz, when carried in an aircraft also operating a 1090MHz transponder, including Modes A, C, and S. The clearance was notified in an Air Information Circular (AIC 141/2019) released on 19 December 2019. Aircraft transponders operate on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard frequency of...
The Drones are Coming…
According to Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, drone use is increasing exponentially and if the UK is to cope with increasing demands on its airspace infrastructure then a radical rethink is required, and it needs to happen quickly. ‘Share the Air’ was the title of the CAA’s conference at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s headquarters in London late last month. Given that the Authority’s senior board...
