Onair Issue 24

8/13/2019 Onair Issue 24

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One of the things that is clear from this issue is that Helios continues to

expand geographically. A number of people have recently returned from

overseas. New team member Richard Womersley has completed a spectrum

strategy project in Malaysia. His colleague Andrew Ives has been in Nepal;

you can read about that particular project inside this issue. Our trainers have

been in Jeddah, delivering a range of courses in CNS/ATM technologies for

GACA, the Saudi Arabian CAA, and our Surveillance team are just back from

South Africa.

A large group of us continues to work on European initiatives such as

SESAR, the Single European Sky, Functional Airspace Blocks, as well as

projects for several Air Navigation Service Providers. We will report on some

of these projects in the next issue. In the meantime, enjoy reading this edition

and have a good summer!

News and Information

from Helios

CONTENTS

Radio spectrum is in great demand. Everything from

wireless doorbells to mobile television networks are

vying to gain access to its limited resource. Although

technology is enabling greater access to the spectrum,

there are limits to what can be achieved and these limits

are rapidly approaching. Frequencies between 300 and3000 MHz are generally regarded as a spectrum sweet-

spot. These frequencies have the right combination of

bandwidth and propagation characteristics to provide

the most technically and economically efficient delivery

of services such as broadband wireless, cellular

communications and mobile broadcasting and pressure

on this frequency range is greater than elsewhere.

Around 20% of all spectrum, including that within

the sweet-spot, is allocated primarily to aeronautical

use. Operators and regulators across Europe (includingthe European Commission) are eyeing this spectrum to

determine whether aeronautical users are being as

efficient as their commercial counterparts. If not, they

will consider moves to re-allocate it to a more efficient

SPOTLIGHT ON SPECTRUM

The pressure is on...

SURVEILLANCETECHNOLOGIES

Why everyones lookingat WAM

MODERNISING

SURVEILLANCE IN NEPAL

ADS-B, WAM or both?

ATM MODERNISATION

A performance based future

HOT AIR!

Our news section

OFF AIR!

Puzzle competition

S U M M E R 2 0 0 8

Mike Shorthose, Managing Director

PS. don't forget our reader survey competition.Check www.askhelios.com for all the details.

Spreading our wings!

use or user.

Traditional technical spectrum management

techniques are finding themselves unable to keep up

with the ever-changing wireless landscape, and

regulators are increasingly using market-based

techniques such as:

Spectrum Pricing where licence fees are varied to

encourage efficient user behaviour

Auctions and Beauty Parades where users

themselves compete for access to the spectrum,

removing the need for sluggish regulatory decision

making

Spectrum Trading which permits users to swap, sell

and lease spectrum.

Whilst aeronautical users have long regardedthemselves as beyond the remit of such techniques, a

2007 report for UK spectrum regulator Ofcom,

suggested that UK users of the 118-137 MHz VHF

communications band should collectively be paying

Spotlight on spectrum

The pressure is on


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News and Informat ion from Hel ios

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Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) is a relatively new

surveillance technique that differs from traditional

techniques, such as Primary and Secondary Surveillance

Radar. Its advantages include:

Suitability for remote or inaccessible areas. For example

Austro Control has purchased a WAM system to provide

gap filling coverage on the approach to Innsbruck

Airport. This area is surrounded by mountains and is

therefore unsuitable to single site radar surveillance (as

its interrogations would be shielded by the terrain).

WAM receivers use static antennas which have much

lower maintenance and procurement costs than rotating

radar heads and are robust to interference from wind farms.

As WAM works on the same RF signal as ADS-B, it can

be upgraded to ADS-B once equipage levels allow.

The increasing popularity of WAM-based surveillance

across Europe in support of military and civil applications is

testament to these benefits. But if the decision to

implement a WAM system is agreed upon, what steps need

to be taken before the system goes operational? To answer

these questions a technical knowledge of the system

together with an understanding of its business and safety

cases is needed. Particular challenges that will need to be

balanced against the above benefits will include:

Accuracy is dependent upon the geometry of available

sensor sites. For example Helios, in partnership with

Austro Control, has been contracted by the South African

ANSP to conduct a study into how sensor site availability

and other trade-offs will affect a new WAM system in

Cape Town.

The communication links between the sensors and the

central processor must have high security, integrity and

availability.

The remote nature of the sensor sites can introduce

challenges in assuring their continued security and

supply of power. Some operators have attempted to

overcome these issues by using, for example, solar

panels to power the sensors.

The processes for achieving operational approval need

to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of WAM and

therefore differ to those used for traditional surveillance

techniques. Helios, on behalf of EUROCONTROL, is currently

developing best practice guidelines for operational approval

of WAM systems.

The decision to procure a WAM system depends upon

multiple site-specific trade-offs. Nevertheless WAM

potentially offers a technical solution for enhancing or

providing stand-alone, cost-effective surveillance in

situations where radar coverage is shielded or the

infrastructure for a radar system cannot be accommodated.

For more information about Helios work on

procurement, approvals and WAM-based surveillance

systems contact [email protected].

Surveillance technologiesWhy everyones looking at WAM

spectrum pricing fees of 11.6 million per year. Other bands

including L-Band, and S-Band were also singled out as high

priorities for the introduction of spectrum pricing due to

high demand from own and/or alternative use.

With the Commission also considering aeronautical (and

other public service) spectrum use, the sanctity of special

protection for aeronautical users could soon be broken.

Helios has joined forces with specialist spectrum

publisher PolicyTracker to develop a 5-day, residential

training course from 29 September to 3 October 2008

entitled Understanding Modern Spectrum Management.

The course features a number of leading European

Richard Womersley

Richard recently joined Helios with over 15

years experience in spectrum management. He

has advised regulators, operators, governments

and end users across Europe, the Middle Eastand Asia on spectrum licensing, pricing,

planning, policing, policy and efficiency. With

growing pressure to use spectrum effectively in

the aeronautical industry, the time is right to

bring greater focus to these issues. As well as

being deeply involved in delivering consultancy

projects across the world, Richard will be

presenting part of the Understanding Modern

Spectrum Management training course.

How WAM works

WAM works by triangulating the Mode A/C, Mode S or ADS-B

transmissions of an aircrafts transponder which are time-stamped

upon detection at multiple receiver sites. Comparing the Time

Difference of Arrival (TDOA) at the different receivers allows the

targets position to be calculated by a central processor. It may

then be fused with surveillance data from other sources before

being correlated with the relevant fl ight plan to producesurveillance reports.

spectrum experts. For further information and to obtain a

special Helios client discount on attendance, contact

[email protected].


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Conference papers published: Improving

environmental performance describes the impact thatfuture air traffic scenarios could have on the environment in

and around airports and how ATM techniques can be used to

minimise this. Presented by Alex Goman at the International

Conference on Research in Air Transport (www.icrat.org), this

paper builds on Helios involvement in the Environmentally

Friendly Airport ATM System (EFAS) project.

Our Navigation team attended this years major European

Navigation Conference in Toulouse. Steve Leighton presented

on the use of EGNOS for approaches to North Sea oil platforms

(more on this subject in a future ON AIR!). As well as

presenting to the conference, Helios consultants authored orco-authored four technical papers on subjects ranging from

maritime navigation to accurate timing for the Galileo

validation activities.

Copies of both Alex's and Steve's papers can be found at

www.askhelios.com.

Hot topics in ATM: Helios is running training courses on

a number of high profile subjects in the coming months.

September 9-11: AMHS (ATS Message Handling Systems)

October 6-10: Navigation Technologies & Techniques,

including our popular one-day overview course on CNSTechnologies and a new 2-day course on Performance Based

Navigation.

October 7: The Single European Sky & SESAR Explained- a

new one-day course packed with insider information on this

hot topic in ATM!

October 8:Air Transport Liberalisation: Impacts & Implications

- providing an overview of key changes that are happening

at the institutional and regulatory level.

To register and for more information on all these events email

[email protected]. Book before 30 June and save e100!

More interest in air navigation charging policy:

Last year Helios set up a club that allowed ANSPs to

share information on how they allocated their costs between

en-route and terminal services for charging purposes, and

other issues relating to the implementation of the SES

Charging Regulation. The product of the work was a report

(for participants only) on the variety of practices, and

comments on what best practice might be. We also

provided help to participating ANSPs on the consequences of

different options within the range of permitted practices, and

their impact on airlines in the countries concerned. The eight

ANSPs in the club have now grown to ten, with LPS (Slovakia)

and Croatia Control. LPS wanted us to review their new

policies on cost allocation, and their impact on users. Croatia

Control is at the early stages of implementing terminal

charges, and wanted some help in determining how costs

should be allocated.

Modernisingsurveillance in NepalADS-B, WAM or both?

Helios has recently supported the Civil Aviation

Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in analysing how the

current surveillance environment could be improved with

the help of either ADS-B or WAM or both. Nepal currently

has a single primary and secondary radar site at

Kathmandu, which provides coverage in the local terminal

area. However the radar is affected by obstructions and

high mountainous terrain and therefore coverage does

not extend far beyond the terminal area boundary.

Helios performed a detailed on-site inventory of the

current ATM system and proposed a number of options

for future surveillance provision, taking into account the

desire of CAAN to provide improved surveillance for

current air routes and to open up new international ones.

ADS-B appeared to offer benefits in lower equipment

and maintenance costs compared to radar, and to be a

solution to provide surveillance over a wide region in

difficult terrain. However two factors needed to be

examined:

1. ADS-B needs a system of verification to ensure that

every aircrafts ADS-B transmissions are accurate. An

independent surveillance source was required as part of

the transmission monitoring, which could be either a

secondary radar or a WAM system.

2. While ADS-B equipage rates are significant and

growing in Europe and on many major routes

internationally, regional equipage levels can often be very

low. WAM can complement ADS-B in that it can provide

surveillance for all aircraft that have a radar transponder,

whether they are equipped for ADS-B or not.

Says Helios consultant Andrew Ives: WAM in

Kathmandu combined with ADS-B deployed across the

country appears to have solid potential to provide

improvements to the current surveillance picture in the

terminal area while ADS-B equipage levels remain low,

and yet it provides a system that can support the

necessary validation of ADS-B outputs as more and more

aircraft equip.

For more information about this project contact

[email protected].


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The final act of the SESAR definition phase was played

out to packed crowds at the SESAR Master Event in

Rome in May. With this important milestone complete it is

worth considering where SESAR is going:

SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research), the

European air traffic control infrastructure modernisation

programme, consists of three phases:

The now complete definition phase (e60 million of

public funds) designed to create an initial ATM master

plan. At Helios we have been involved in many aspects

of the SESAR definition phase, helping several SESARconsortium partners with their contributions to the

definition phase, for example supporting LFV with a

review of on-going research and development activities.

A e2.1 Bn development phase run as a public-

private-partnership by the recently created SESAR Joint

Undertaking. During the development phase, the ATM

master plan will be updated on the basis of the R&D

work conducted.

Finally, during the deployment phase an estimated

e40 Bn will be required to implement the master plan.

SESAR is an important step for the ATM industry and

has dominated Helios technical support to the Industry

Consultation Body (ICB). The SESAR definition phase has

been conducted as a partnership between representatives of

all air transport stakeholders. The industry has come

together to deliver a vision of the future where ATM service

ATM modernisationA performance based future

is provided in accordance with the performance requirements

of the users. This approach echoes ICAOs performance based

ATM initiative and will lead to a more responsive ATM system.

However, to many observers it appears that completion

of the definition phase signals the beginning of the real

work. For example, ATM requires constant modernisation to

ensure that cost-effective and safe capacity can be delivered

as demand rises. The ICB is therefore considering both how

existing implementation arrangements can be strengthened

to ensure the success of the early phases of the ATM master

plan as well as providing advice to the European Commission

on how institutional arrangements should evolve to create

the sense of partnership required to ensure the full

implementation of SESAR.

For more information about SESAR contact

[email protected].

For further information, contact Mike Shorthose by email:

[email protected], telephone: +44 1252 451 651 or visit

our website www.askhelios.com.This newsletter has been written for the interest of our clients and colleagues.

We believe the facts are correct at the time of printing, but cannot be held

responsible for any errors or omissions. Please send change-of-address details

to [email protected]. Helios, 29 Hercules Way, Aerospace Boulevard,

AeroPark, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6UU, UK.

Helios is an independent technical and management consultancy focusing

on the air transport sector. We help our customers solve problems and

implement technical and operational solutions that will improve corporateperformance. Our team has a range of expertise covering research,

planning, simulations, feasibility studies, cost benefit analysis, procurement

support and safety studies. Our knowledge covers all of the technologies

that support air traffic management, as well as satellite navigation and

advanced communication systems.

An exasperated

chairman was

asked how many

people attended

his last working group

meeting. In reply he said,

Well! If I divide the people into two

unequal numbers, then 32 times thedifference between the two numbers

equals the difference between the squares of the two

numbers. Can you work out how many people attended his

last working group meeting? Please provide a brief

explanation with your answer. The answer will be published

in the next edition of ON AIR!. Please send your solutions to

[email protected]. All entries must be received by

15 September 2008. As usual, we will award a bottle of

champagne to the first correct answer drawn at random

after this date. Good luck to everyone!

And the winner is

The correct answer to the conundrum in the Winter/Spring

edition of ON AIR! was 1.125mph. For a full explanation to

the puzzle please visit www.askhelios.com.

Congratulations to Daniel Storey of CAA who wins the

champagne.

1 8

143

9

10 64

22

?

?

?

Meeting fatigue

2008 2013 20252006

Development

Phase

e2.1Bn

Deployment

Phase

e20Bn to e50Bn

Definition

Phase

e60M

Documents

Onair Issue 24