On Thu, 09 Jun 2005 03:07:16 GMT, "turbo" wrote:

ops into uncontrolled airports, and on and on. On all three days, the big
demo was a computer sequenced six IFR aircraft onto a GPS approach to an
uncontrolled airport in a few minutes that would under today's procedures
taken nearly an hour.

Ah. That was the last piece I wasn't getting. So automation of the
ATC function is a part of it. Interesting.

The crews could all see each other on their moving
maps and received a datalinked message with their clearances.

That's already active with ADS-B and a flight management display,
isn't it?


Did they give any type of timetable/funding requirement for any of
this? Do you know how much interest was in the private sector or is
NASA going to bear the burden?


I'm curious to find out about the capabilities of their SATS demo
aircraft. I'm not real hyper about having the skies filled yahoos
with planes,

I don't know why people keep saying this about AGATE and now SATS. A flying
car in every driveway flown by 10 hour pilots is absolutely NOT what SATS is
about. The media twists the message about airplanes being easier to fly
into a message about how any idiot can just climb in and go.

Actually,they are selling it as such. I saw a 7 minute promo of a
family going to grandma's house in a AGATE/SATS equipped aircraft.
Maybe it's my perception, but it really gave the impression they were
trying to move into the general transportation area.

Perhaps dad was a 1800hr ATP pilot, but they didn't make that clear.
Either way, it's a smart marketing choice. GA will need more pilots
to distribute the cost of the system. The airline industry aint
paying for it.


Jim

http://www.unconventional-wisdom.org