List view / Grid view

Articles

Riga International Airport: becoming a lead player

30 November 2007 | By Krišjanis Peters, Chairman of the Board

From the capital of Latvia, Riga, you can reach “Riga International Airport” in 7 minutes. Latvia is located between the Baltic States (Lithuania and Estonia) and therefore it can cover larger territories. Approximately 2.5 million people in the Baltic States live within a two-hour drive and 3.6 million people live…

Alternative fuels for aviation: the CAAFI process

30 November 2007 | By Richard L. Altman, Executive Director, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI)

Until the last few years, alternatives to jet petroleum based aviation fuel for commercial aircraft were, at best, an afterthought to energy suppliers and the aviation industry. The collective wisdom of airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers and government organisations such as the FAA in the US, had been that aviation would…

Avian radar systems

30 November 2007 | By Edwin E. Herricks, Center of Excellence in Airport Technology and Gerry Key, Computer Sciences Corporation

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Thompson 253! – Thus begins the audio following a slow motion video of a bird/aircraft collision. The mayday is called as flames shoot from the left engine of a Thompson Boeing 757. This bird strike on takeoff rivets our attention for over 6 minutes as the professionalism…

Multi-biometrics for enhanced airport access control

30 November 2007 | By The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723-6099

Biometrics is used to verify identity in various activities from crime solving, recidivist detection, employee and clearance screening, remains identification and border and airport security. Biometric systems are being deployed in airports in increasing numbers.

When wings won’t fly

30 November 2007 | By Marcia K. Politovich, National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO

The wings of an aircraft are carefully designed to provide the lift needed to fly. The shape of the wing must be aerodynamically efficient and the surface should be smooth to allow air to flow effortlessly around it. However, prior to and during flight, atmospheric phenomena work to reshape and…

Friction testing in Sweden

30 November 2007 | By Fredrik Nilsson, Project Manager, Civil Engineering Department, Swedish CAA at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport and Pär Blom, Training officer, Field Department, Stockholm-Arlanda Airport

In the beginning of air traffic history only propeller aeroplanes were used. They had a landing speed of 60-100 km/h, compared to today’s jet aeroplanes which have a landing speed of 250-360 km/h. Therefore, in the past when friction did not seem as important, the airport personnel used their feet…

A bright idea for training airport airfield lighting personnel

28 September 2007 | By Dorn R. Sanders, Manager of Business Development and Training, Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)

The Airport Certified Employee (ACE) – Airfield Lighting Maintenance programme was the second of four certification programmes introduced by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) in 2004. This was the first comprehensive, professional certification programme concentrating on airfield lighting maintenance for airport personnel. The curriculum is based on standards…

Cargo Aircraft: Planning is Paramount

28 September 2007 | By Bob Lindstrom Jr., Chairman ARFF Working Group

In Aviation Fire Protection we arrive at work daily and think about all the possible scenarios we might be up against. There is a mindset we have to use to see how our training and planning can fit into any scenario. Each day I come to work and think about…

International airports look to the Segway PT for increased productivity

28 September 2007 | By Chip MacDonald Director, Global Police & Government Business Unit Segway Inc.

In January 2004 the Chicago Police Department became one of the first police agencies in the world to use Segway® Personal Transporters (PTs) when they placed a fleet of patrol units into service at O’Hare International Airport. The event was widely covered in national media and the Associated Press quoted…

Indian airports ride the wave of infrastructure growth – CSIA all set to power this growth

28 September 2007 | By G.V. Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, Mumbai International Airport Private Limited and Vice Chairman, GVK

Noted Indian economist Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao, said more than two decades ago, “The link between infrastructure and economic development is not a once and for all affair. It is a continuous process; and progress in development has to be preceded, accompanied and followed by progress in infrastructure, if we are…

Hyderabad: Raring to go

28 September 2007 | By Mr T Srinagesh, Chief Operating Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

A jewel in the crown of India’s rapidly expanding airport system is rising on a Greenfield site, approximately 30 kilometres south of downtown Hyderabad. The new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), scheduled for operation in March 2008, is being developed by the GMR Group in a public-private partnership that also…

Realising the new Bangalore Airport

28 September 2007 | By Albert Brunner – Chief Operating Officer, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL)

In order to keep pace with the rapid development of Bangalore as India’s leader in information technology, biotechnology and the services industry, the Government of Karnataka and the Airport Authority of India decided, in 1999, to call for international consortia to build, own and operate a new Greenfield international airport…