22-06-2012, 04:55 PM
The Future of Aviation System
[attachment=25133]
Problems with aviation today
Hub-and-spoke system
Relies on a few large airports which do not have enough runways
100 major commercial airports
20 are critical (O’Hare, LaGuardia, etc.)
Average flight delay of 30 minutes
Air travel will double or triple by 2020
Fear of terrorism slows passenger processing
The solution: Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) goal: “Reduce door-to-door travel time by half in 10 years and two-thirds in 25 years.”
98% of Americans live within a 30 minute drive of a small airport
SATS will be an airborne transportation network that will use small aircraft and the nation’s 5,000+ small airports.
Problems with current avionics
World War I era technology
“Steam gauge” instruments:
Some rely on failure-prone vacuum pumps
Icing can clog air pressure vents
Each instrument was designed individually
Lack of integration requires a pilot to do a lot of interpretation, mental visualization, and math in their head
Making existing instruments electronic adds another layer of complexity
Problems with current air traffic control
World War II era technology
Radar – Can be inaccurate
Minimum separation requirements:
5 miles horizontal
1,000 feet vertical
Radio – Inefficient
Transmissions can be “stepped on”
Human controllers hand off pilots from section to section
Airspace – Confusing
Becoming more segmented and complex
Difficult for a pilot to tell exact location
[attachment=25133]
Problems with aviation today
Hub-and-spoke system
Relies on a few large airports which do not have enough runways
100 major commercial airports
20 are critical (O’Hare, LaGuardia, etc.)
Average flight delay of 30 minutes
Air travel will double or triple by 2020
Fear of terrorism slows passenger processing
The solution: Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) goal: “Reduce door-to-door travel time by half in 10 years and two-thirds in 25 years.”
98% of Americans live within a 30 minute drive of a small airport
SATS will be an airborne transportation network that will use small aircraft and the nation’s 5,000+ small airports.
Problems with current avionics
World War I era technology
“Steam gauge” instruments:
Some rely on failure-prone vacuum pumps
Icing can clog air pressure vents
Each instrument was designed individually
Lack of integration requires a pilot to do a lot of interpretation, mental visualization, and math in their head
Making existing instruments electronic adds another layer of complexity
Problems with current air traffic control
World War II era technology
Radar – Can be inaccurate
Minimum separation requirements:
5 miles horizontal
1,000 feet vertical
Radio – Inefficient
Transmissions can be “stepped on”
Human controllers hand off pilots from section to section
Airspace – Confusing
Becoming more segmented and complex
Difficult for a pilot to tell exact location