Showing the Alaska RNP read outs. Image from AlaskaAir.com
Alaska Airlines is working on ways to save a few million gallons of fuel per year. The fuel savings will not only trickle down to a passenger’s pocketbook, but it would also cut down on environmental and noise pollutions.
Throughout the summer Alaska has been testing next-generation flight procedures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) that have been dubbed “Greener Skies.”
The new procedure breaks away from the traditional “stair-step” method of descending into an airport. With current protocol, the control tower will assign altitudes airliners will cruise at. The pilot will descend to the new altitude, increase power to maintain the altitude, and wait for the next step. The new process takes advantage of Required Navigation Performance (RNP). With RNP the decent is a smooth, linear, and controlled approach without the need to level off. Alaska says the new system could save 2.1 million gallons of fuel and 22,000 metric tons of carbon emissions per year.
Elliott Pesut, Twitterer for Alaska Airlines, pointed out to me that Alaska is the only major U.S. air carrier with a completely RNP-equipped fleet and fully trained crews. I am sure Alaska won’t be the last. Southwest Airlines recently announced their entire fleet of Boeing 737-700’s have the new technology and are in process of training their flight crews. Alaska is working to gain FAA approval to start using it by next year.
It is great to see an airline taking the leadership role of bringing this technology to the forefront and motivating others to follow suit. I hope that all aircraft at SEA will use the technology and it will spread to all airports and aircraft in the US.
A preview of what is to come.
The cabin of the Boeing 737 has slowly evolved over the years, but Boeing feels it is time for a large upgrade. Starting in 2010, Boeing will upgrade their 737 interiors with what they are calling “Boeing Sky Interiors.”
Heavily based off the research for the Boeing 787 interior, the new 737 interiors will “give a better connection to the flying experience.” Passengers stepping into the new 737 will notice the soft blue lighting on the ceilings and larger window reveals, giving the sense of a larger cabin.
Along with the aesthetic benefits, the new layout employs several practical changes. The overhead bins will have more storage space and they are pivot hinged (much like the Boeing 777), allowing more head room and open space when closed. The reading light and call buttons have been redesigned to create less confusion and less unintentional calls, which will make the flight attendants happy.
The new Boeing 737 will also feature performance upgrades. Boeing is hoping to increase fuel consumption by 2% via a combination of airframe and engine improvements. 2% might not sound like much when you think about your personal automobile, but when a Boeing 737-900ER can hold over 7,800 gallons of fuel, 2% can make a huge difference.
Source & Image: Boeing.com
A Boeing 767-300 will employ fuel-saving measures and GPS navigation on a trans-Atlantic flight.
American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami on Thursday will be the first trans-Atlantic flight to test several fuel-economy measures and GPS navigation.
Strategies to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions, which American and other airlines have been testing individually for awhile now, include one-engine taxi and gradual (as opposed to incremental) take-off and landing.
The Boeing 767-300 will also use GPS technology for a more direct route than typical jetliner highways, again saving fuel and reducing emissions.
And with the Flight 447 tragedy fresh in our minds, it’s important to note that GPS will eventually be able to track planes’ locations far beyond the accuracy of radar.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Photo: Fotos de aviones – Aviocion.Tv
Work in progress: The tunnel has been dug underneath the airfield of Terminal 5
As part of Heathrow’s £900m (roughly $1.5 billion) overhaul of their luggage system, The British Airports Authority (BAA) is building a massive underground tunnel to transport bags between two terminals. The tunnel will run for over a mile, evading subway lines and underground fuel tanks.
Currently luggage transfer between Terminals 3 and 5 can take over an hour ’“ the new tunnel will save about 20 minutes.
You may remember Heathrow had major luggage problems last year with the opening of Terminal 5, but this very public upset did not prompt the tunnel plans, supposedly, nor will it entirely prevent lost luggage in the future. A BAA spokesperson said, ’œThere are so many different reasons why bags can go missing’¦. Baggage is a very complex world.’
Construction is happening 24 hours a day, with the hope of opening the tunnel by the end of 2011.
I don’t know, but spending multi-million dollars to shave an hour-long baggage wait down to 40 minutes seems a bit wasteful to me, especially in these harsh economic times. And people don’t even get to go down into the tunnel which seems like the coolest part!
Source: The Guardian Image: MailOnline
Millimeter wave technology produces whole body images (woman at left, man at right) that reveal what's under your clothes, including Metallic or non-metallic devices and objects are displayed.
Remember those scanners from Total Recall? The kind that could see through your clothes and detect if someone is carrying something they shouldn’t? The future is getting closer and that has a few people worried about privacy.
L3 Communications is testing new Millimeter Wave (MMW) technology scanners at six airports around the country, with up to twenty airports planning to start using MMW technology later this year. Unlike the Total Recall’s “just walk right through” scanners, passengers still must remove jackets, metal items, and shoes and step into a small glass chamber. Sensors take about 3min to read the energy coming off the human body and can detect if there is anything that shouldn’t be on the person.
Even though the faces of passengers are blurred out and the technology does not allow printing or storing in anyway, the American Civil Liberties Union is arguing that this technology is too intrusive, showing catheters, underwear, and other non-natural items under a person’s cloths. Not to mention that it quite easily shows the curves of the person’s body which can be seen on the image with this blog.
At this point it is being offerred by the TSA as an alternative to a traditional pat-down search. The TSA states that more than 99% of passengers given the choice are choosing the MMW technology, but I wonder if they know what the scan is doing. Passengers might think it is like the “sniffing scanner” which is mostly harmless.
Although the concept of this seems like a smart idea, actually seeing the images produced would make me feel uncomfortable being scanned with a MMW scanner. If you get a pat-down you can see the person and know they are being professional. How does one know what a TSA agent is doing with the images they are seeing via MMW in their “remote location.” Although images cannot be recorded, what stops someone from taking photos of the screen? I love technology and would hate to hinder the evolution of Total Recall type scanners. I think if people are informed what the scan fully entails (ie maybe have an example picture next to the scanners) and are given this as a choice, then I think this technology can work and keep people safe.
Thanks Jessica for the tip!
Source & Image: LiveScience.com
