Federal Aviation Administration
Airline travelers are used to being instructed to turn off computers and cell phones during takeoffs and landings as a precaution against interfering with the plane?s navigational equipment, but outside sources of high-energy interference can be even more dangerous.
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA--Staff from Poker Flat Research Range have traveled north to assist fire personnel in mapping Interior Alaska's Crazy Mountain Complex fires with unmanned aircraft. The team is stationed at Mile 145 of the Steese Highway, between Circle and Central, which are communities near the Yukon River. They have been deploying the aircraft since Aug. 5.
An emergency rule intended to reduce the number of deaths and injuries associated with Hawaiian air tours was followed by a 47 percent reduction in sightseeing crashes, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy.
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution examined the feather remains from the Jan. 15
US Airways Flight 1549 bird strike to determine not only the species, but also that the Canada geese involved were from a migratory, rather than resident, population. This knowledge is essential for wildlife professionals to develop policies and techniques that will reduce the risk of future collisions.
Using forensic data from feather remains, scientists have identified the birds that caused the Jan. 15 airline crash into the Hudson River as migratory Canada geese. The study, published online in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, will help managers better assess how to prevent such strikes in the future.
An experimental procedure that substantially reduces the noise of descending aircraft is one step closer to availability for commercial air carriers, thanks to the continuing efforts of a research team led by Professor John-Paul Clarke of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In addition to improving the lives of people living and working along airport approach routes, the new procedure reduces aircraft engine emissions and fuel consumption.
With the approaching return of the Space Shuttle fleet to flight in 2005, NASA is preparing for their safe arrival home with the recertification of Kennedy Space Center's runway guidance system. Known as the Microwave Scanning Beam Landing System (MSBLS), the system acts like a homing beacon for Space Shuttle orbiters returning to Earth. As an orbiter nears the runway, the system relays information to the pilot such as the vehicle's angle of approach and distance to touchdown, guiding it to a perfect landing.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board is drawing together some of the nation's most experienced investigators and safety experts from the aviation, naval nuclear propulsion, medical, scientific and academic communities to determine the cause of the February 1, 2003 space shuttle accident.
