FAREHAM, England, September 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – A consortium led by Harris Corporation – which includes NATS Inc. the US division of the UK’s air traffic services provider, has been awarded the $331 million FAA Data Communication Integrated Services (DCIS) contract. The seven year contract, with 10 additional one-year options, represents a major step in the development and implementation of NextGen. Delivery of the DCIS contract will allow air traffic service data to be transmitted directly to pilots via an aircraft’s on-board avionics systems. This represents a key phase of the transition from the current decades-old analog voice system to a predominantly digital mode of communication. By enabling data communication, DCIS will support more efficient procedures and flight profiles through services such as revised departure clearances, automation of routine clearances, Traffic Flow Management reroutes, automated transfer of communications, optimized profile Read more text

Spaceport Colorado reached a crucial milestone Tuesday when Colorado U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall announced the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of a $200,000 grant to fund the site’s feasibility study.  ” This is what we’ve called the domino that needs to fall,” said Dennis Heap, executive director of aviation at Front Range Airport, the proposed site for the spaceport facility. Colorado, California and Hawaii received funding from the FAA’s new Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Grants, which totaled $500,000. The feasibility study is the first step in the licensing process. It will determine all of the logistics for operating a commercial spaceport, such as the requirements for the operating vehicles, storage, launching and landing, and other operational details. “It does two things: It will start the process,” Heap said. “And it shows that the FAA believes Spaceport Colorado could be a v Read more text

CHICAGO (AP) – Federal aviation authorities say they’ve taken steps to eliminate the risk of midair collisions over two intersecting runways at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The new procedures were implemented after two near misses in 2011 involving planes landing and taking off from those runways. A preliminary report released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board says the planes in both incidents came within a few hundred feet of each other. The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday said the changes in response include a “virtual intersection” system for the two runways designed to issue an automated warning if a plane nears that intersection. Among other changes, the two air traffic controllers responsible for the runways now sit beside each other so they can better communicate. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Article Read more text

Enlarge Photo Lockheed Martin shows off its remote-controlled miniature drone recently at the Association … more  Facebook Follow @washtimes The drone industry joined with state officials Tuesday in pressuring the federal government to stop dragging its feet and begin setting up vital test sites for unmanned aerial vehicles. The Federal Aviation Administration was to have established by Aug. 12 the six locations where drones could be tested and studied in preparation for their eventual commercial and personal use. Six weeks later, it still hasn’t happened, and many fear the U.S. could fall behind its competitors in aerospace technology if delays continue. “While the U.S. has led the way in the field of aviation since the Wright brothers first took flight nearly 110 years ago, we currently find ourselves in jeopardy of losing our global advantage,” said Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell in a recent letter to the FAA. Mr. Treadwell also serves as chairman of the Ae Read more text

September 26, 2012 5:25 AM A new report from the FAA reveals that everyday, on average, there are three near-collisions on airport runways in the United States. Manuel Bojorquez reports. Article source: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7423314n Read more text