New Separation Standard Improves Departure Efficiency
April 16, 2012
On October 20, 2011, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport began using a new standard for separating aircraft, which enables Atlanta’s air traffic controllers to clear aircraft for takeoff more efficiently. The new standard was applied in the design of departure routes and capitalizes on state-of-the-art, performance-based navigation (PBN) equipment available on today’s aircraft. The new standard allows aircraft routes to be spaced more closely together, taking better advantage of the airspace surrounding the airport and minimizing the noise impact on adjacent communities.
MITRE Convenes Experts to Make Business Case
April 6, 2012
Debby Kirkman, architect for NAS performance and policy in the System Transformation and Integration department, was featured in an issue of RTCA Digest. The article details her work on the NextGen Advisory Committee's Business Case and Performance Metrics Work Group, of which she co-chairs.
MITRE Experimentation Lab Gives Wings to Aviation Technology Research
April 3, 2012
The Federal Aviation Administration can't shut down the National Airspace System (NAS) to test new technology. But on the fourth floor of a MITRE building in McLean, Va., aviation industry and federal government representatives get the next best thing: a way to see how new technology performs without calling air traffic to a halt. The same facility is also helping multiple agencies work out the details for integrating unmanned aircraft systems into civil airspace.
Today's Data Link: A Technology Path All Can Agree On
March 8, 2012
For decades, aviation stakeholders from government, industry, and academia have struggled to find a solution for data communications (or data link) that all stakeholders could agree on—and, thus far, have not succeeded. However, last fall the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked the RTCA NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) to compose a list of recommendations that lay out an industry view of the path that would, over time, successfully replace much of today’s routine voice communications with data communications.
ARIAS: A Near-Term Runway Safety Solution
December 2, 2011
On February 1, 1991, a USAir 737 was making its final approach to Los Angeles International Airport. On the runway below, SkyWest Flight 5569, a twin-engine turboprop, waited to take off. A series of errors and misjudgments had led air traffic control to assign the same runway for both the 737's landing and the turboprop's departure. The pilot of the 737 did not see Flight 5569 in his path until his wheels settled onto the tarmac. By then it was too late. The jet crashed into the turboprop, crushing the smaller plane beneath it. All 12 passengers and crew aboard Flight 5569 and 22 of 89 people on Flight 737 died in the collision.
May’s Employee Spotlight Shines on Valerie Gawron
May 18, 2011
Writer and international traveler Valerie Gawron loves to explore different places, investigate alternate ideas, and meet new people. These qualities, paired with her multiple advanced degrees, match up well for her job as a human-systems integrator in MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), the FFRDC for the Federal Aviation Administration. Before coming to MITRE in 2007, Gawron spent many years designing, testing, and evaluating systems for government, military, and private organizations. Her work has ranged across all types of human factors engineering projects including fielding computer-aided engineering tools; evaluating security systems in airports and embassies; conducting research in human performance optimization; directing accident reenactments; and testing helmet-mounted displays and night-vision goggles.
Jeremy Irish Writes Flight Validation Article for Envision 2011
March 7, 2011
As the demand for more efficient arrival and departure routes at airports continues to grow, the Federal Aviation Administration is seeking ways to allow airlines and private companies to meet the comprehensive safety testing requirements for designing flight procedures. MITRE has prototyped tools using inexpensive commercial technology that makes designing new procedures feasible.
Onsite with the FAA in Oklahoma
January 28, 2011
After nearly 30 years as an air traffic controller, Tim Lovell came to MITRE with a wealth of experience in the development of arrival and departure flight paths, generally referred to as flight procedures, and air traffic control issues. He puts that experience to good use in Oklahoma City, Okla., where he and two other MITRE staff are onsite at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, one of the Federal Aviation Administration's largest facilities.
Researchers Tackle Effects of Wake Turbulence at Nation's Airports
November 2, 2010
Keeping air traffic moving with minimal delays is an essential part of the global economy. Despite the best-laid plans, however, various factors still interfere with traffic flow. Disruptions caused by stormy weather or clouds of volcanic ash result in rerouting, rescheduling, or even grounding flights. But other aspects of aviation that interfere with air traffic can be mitigated by understanding challenges, then countering them at the source.
Software Engineer Contributes to Innovative Aviation Safety Program
September 9, 2010
When Eugene Mwendwa started at MITRE in 2004, he saw an opportunity to apply his software engineering skills to a broad range of aviation initiatives. Since then, he has become an ongoing contributor to the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) program, which merges data collected from a wide range of aviation-related sources to maintain high levels of safety in the National Airspace System. Read more. . .
Dr. Agam Sinha Named Chairman of the Board of RTCA
August 12, 2010
MCLEAN, Va., August 12, 2010 — Dr. Agam Sinha has been named Chairman of the Board of RTCA Inc. Dr. Sinha is director, senior vice president, and general manager of the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), the federally funded research and development center that MITRE operates for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). RTCA is a private, not-for-profit corporation that develops consensus-based recommendations regarding communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management system issues. RTCA functions as a federal advisory committee. The FAA uses its recommendations as the basis for policy, program, and regulatory decisions.
Flight Validation Toolset Helps Get New Flight Paths Off the Ground Quickly and Safely
August 3, 2010
Flight paths in and out of busy airports are dictated by precise sets of guidelines. These flight paths, also called "procedures," ensure that aircraft avoid obstacles and other aircraft. Thousands of such flight procedures are currently in use worldwide. Now, advanced navigation capabilities and other technologies allow new procedures to be developed that will reduce flight times, save fuel, and reduce noise—making air travel more efficient and environmentally friendly.
MITRE's UAT Beacon Radio Receives 2010 R&D 100 Award
July 23, 2010
BEDFORD, Mass., July 23, 2010 — The MITRE Corporation's Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) Beacon Radio has been honored with a 2010 R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine. The technologies on R&D Magazine's list are considered the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year. They are selected by the magazine's editors and an independent judging panel. MITRE staff listed on the award are: Matt DeGarmo, Perry Hamlyn, Chuck Mazzola, Chris Moody, Brian McHugh, Marc Pepi, Rob Strain, and Warren Wilson.
MITRE Launches Nationwide Effort to Better Manage Human Fatigue in Aviation
July 23, 2010
For more than a decade, human fatigue in aviation has been the subject of extensive research across military and civilian services. Experts are seeking to better understand human fatigue risks and take countermeasures. Their efforts were underscored last year in part when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in Buffalo, N.Y., killing 50. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated crew fatigue, and the subsequent public hearings highlighted issues relating to pilot commuting, training, rest and duty time, and fatigue management.
A Fast-Track Task Force Moves NextGen Forward
May 17, 2010
Just as the safe flight of an aircraft requires the combined effort of the flight crew and air traffic controllers, the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) plan to modernize the National Airspace System requires the combined efforts of the government, airspace users, and the aviation industry. Now, thanks to recommendations from a highly effective volunteer task force, the Federal Aviation Administration is continuing to move ahead with NextGen's development. The long-term benefits of the task force's work will include improved safety in the air and at airports, better use of existing capacity, greater design flexibility, and reduced environmental impacts.
Debby Kirkman's Contributions to NextGen
February 4, 2010
When Debby Kirkman first came to MITRE in 1984, she was looking for a challenging work environment in a family-friendly company. More than two decades later she's still here and feeling satisfied with her role supporting the Federal Aviation Administration's efforts to implement the Next Generation Air Transportation System, a large-scale multi-year program also called NextGen.
Equivalent Visual Operations: More Than Meets the Eye
January 27, 2010
SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration is sponsoring research that will help reduce airline congestion and delays, especially during bad weather. Equivalent Visual Operations (EVO) is a collection of new air traffic management technologies and procedures that will allow pilots and controllers to operate as efficiently in poor weather conditions as they can in favorable ones.
MITRE Engineers Honored for Achievements in Airborne Traffic Avoidance
December 7, 2009
MITRE Corporation engineers Chris Moody, Doyle Peed, Robert Strain, and Dr. Warren Wilson have received the 2009 Dr. John C. Ruth Digital Avionics Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. The award, formerly known as the Digital Avionics Award, recognizes outstanding achievement in technical management and/or implementation of digital avionics in space or aeronautical systems to include system analysis, design, development or application.
Modeling a "Green" Effort
December 4, 2009
Over the past year Gene Lin has focused on developing models to find methods for reducing the environmental impact of air travel. Lin, a modeling and simulation engineer at MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) in McLean, Va., is the primary researcher and project leader of an exploratory research project called Green Airspace Design.
Green Air Space Design: Reducing Fuel Burn
October 26, 2009
Could making small adjustments at the beginning and end of aircrafts' flight paths add up to big benefits to the environment? That's what MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) is trying to find out through a new internally funded research effort called Green Airspace Design. The project studies how flight paths can—and cannot—be adjusted in terminal areas to minimize fuel consumption.
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