New system to enhance air traffic, safety WASHINGTON (AP) =97 Federal officials are working on a navigation system= that=20 will let planes fly closer together, prevent crashes into mountains and,=20 perhaps, become part of a system to prevent hijackers from flying planes=20 into buildings or other structures. The Federal Aviation Administration=20 will establish the automated system at San Francisco International Airport= =20 next month, and plans to eventually deploy it at other airports. Many=20 commercial aircraft already have the equipment required to use the system.= =20 The satellite-based system was developed by Alaska Airlines, which began=20 using it in 1996 to fly in and out of Juneau in cloudy, wet and cold=20 weather that would otherwise keep the planes grounded or prevent them from= =20 landing. The FAA currently views the system, called "required navigation=20 procedures," as an important new element of airspace management that will=20 reduce congestion and enhance safety. On Wednesday, the agency announced=20 another modernization step: instant messaging between air traffic=20 controllers and pilots flying into Miami International Airport. Hal Andersen, a pilot involved in developing the required navigation=20 procedures, describes them as a means of allocating airspace to airplanes.= =20 Others have said it creates "highways in the sky." "It's a system on the=20 airplane that uses autonomous navigational capabilities to define its=20 position very tightly," Andersen said. Because of its accuracy and=20 reliability, the system can allow airplanes to safely navigate to any spot= =20 on earth, he said. The system could eventually be part of a higher-level=20 system that would prevent the flight path from being diverted or=20 reprogrammed. "We're talking about data and about systems already in=20 existence," Andersen said. On some airplanes, he explained, pilots can't=20 move the controls beyond the plane's capabilities because the controls send= =20 information to a computer that actually flies the plane. Hypothetically,=20 Andersen said, such a plane could be equipped with a database integrated=20 with the required navigation procedures and programmed to prevent it from=20 flying into the White House. "I'm sure it's a massive undertaking," he=20 said. FAA administrator Marion Blakey said the required navigation=20 procedures will allow more planes to fly more closely together safely. In=20 San Francisco, the system will allow another runway to be used at the=20 airport in bad weather, she said. "It's a big step," Blakey said. The FAA wants is moving aggressively to expand the system, she said. In a=20 related development, John Thornton, director of FAA's Free Flight program,= =20 said a new instant messaging system being used by about a dozen American=20 Airlines planes allows air traffic controllers to exchange routine text=20 messages with the cockpit, which could alleviate the pressure on an=20 overburdened voice communication system. It is also expected to reduce=20 miscommunication between pilots and air traffic controllers because of=20 language and dialect differences, stuck microphones or simple=20 misunderstandings. The first instant message was sent at 7:38 Monday=20 morning between an American Airlines pilot and the Miami flight control=20 center near Miami International Airport. Once federal regulators get comfortable with the system they'll find better= =20 uses for it, Thornton said. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (ReadyMix) http://www.readymix.co.tt/ (ReadyMix Cement Ltd) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************