Global Air Traffic Management That’s Out of This World: One hundred percent of the planet, including the remotest of airspace, is about to be included in global air traffic surveillance for the first time thanks to an advanced, space-based automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) network.
Aireon launched the first Iridium NEXT satellites dedicated for a space-based ADS-B network in January. This new system is expected to revolutionize air traffic control (ATC) and flight tracking. At present, nearly 70 percent of the planet has no existing ATC surveillance.
Aireon partnered with Iridium Communications to make this new global ADS-B surveillance service possible. Though 10 Iridium NEXT satellites were just launched and deployed, there will be 81 satellites deployed in total – 66 operational spacecraft, six on-orbit spares and nine ground-backup spacecraft. All will be equipped with the AireonSM payload. Over the next 15 months, Iridium will rely on its partner, SpaceX for continued support in launching the remaining satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, located outside of Lompoc, California. Six more launches have been planned.
Aireon is targeting mid-2018 for the full array of the Iridium NEXT constellation to be operational. This lead time will afford Aireon the time it needs to fully test the network on performance. Some test scenarios will include high traffic areas, low-power transponders and the like. Critical flight testing will also be performed in all dense airspace regions.
Once the satellites are placed into low-earth orbit, Iridium conducts testing over the following 40-60-days. Next, Aireon commences it’s testing and validating over a 60-day period. After all testing and validation are completed, the Aireon ADS-B receivers, manufactured by Harris Corporation will begin providing air traffic surveillance data from 1090ES-equipped aircraft to the service delivery points (SDPs) for partners on the ground. These partners include NAV CANADA, NATS, ENAV, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and others. NAV CANADA has also signed on as Aireon’s first customer.
Additional benefits from the new ADS-B network will include improved aviation safety and efficiency, and reduced greenhouse gas (namely CO2) emissions, according to findings produced by studies from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and the Flight Safety Foundation.
Down the road, Aireon will launch another service, known as Aireon ALERT, which will be a free global aircraft tracking service hosted and operated by IAA from the North Atlantic Communications Center in Ballygirreen, Ireland. This is in addition to the GlobalBeacon flight tracking system that was previously launched in partnership with FlightAware.
GlobalBeacon is designed to enable airlines to comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) requirements and provides airlines with critical, up-to-the-minute flight tracking data.
The North Atlantic Track System is the busiest body of oceanic airspace in the world.
The Iridium NEXT satellite is a completely new design that allows the satellites to communicate with each other and to create a mesh network in the sky.
Qatar Airways was the first airline to adopt the GlobalBeacon solution.
For future updates on this and other operational topics, visit UAS Blog.
UAS CEO Omar Hosari to take on Kilimanjaro for Aviation Sustainability: Kilimanjaro quest will raise funds for IBAC education program UAS Co-Owner/Founder and CEO Omar Hosari’s commitment to climb Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, this month is far more than…
Marketing Team UAS International Trip Support | - 10/03/2019
Flight Ops to Orlando MRO Americas: MRO Americas gets underway in Orlando, Florida from April 10-12. Taking place at the Orange County Convention Center, the conference will cover areas like IT, logistics, technology, interiors, personnel, parts, services, consultants, repairs, training, equipment.…
Business Aviation Operations to Nigeria– Part 1: A must-read for any operators planning a mission to Nigeria. UAS’ best airport information and advice on permit approval, fuel, and ground handling. Airport Considerations What are the airport operating hours in Nigeria? All…
Abdul Oricha | - 10/23/2017
Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
Contact UAS China Team
Become a UAS Fuel Partner today!
Want to become a UAS Fuel Partner? Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!