Another Boeing Boondoggle Creates Potential Hazard In Skies Over Los Angeles

Another Boeing Boondoggle Creates Potential Hazard In Skies Over Los Angeles

Call me Chicken Little, but....

I take issue with this quote from the following article:

"The Metroplex system relies on sophisticated automation and global
positioning satellites that will let controllers and pilots know exactly
where aircraft are at all times instead of waiting every nine to 12 seconds
for radar signals to bounce back."

In fact, controllers will not KNOW the correct position of aircraft at all. ATC
will know the position each aircraft reports via the GPS-based ADS/B system.
That's significantly less certain than the empirical evidence provided by
physically bouncing a radio signal off the aircraft, as it has been
demonstrated that weak satellite signals can be overridden with more powerful
terrestrial-based radio transmitters, and satellites are vulnerable to solar
disturbances such as Solar Mass Ejections. It also opens the specter of ATC
spoofing and the hazards to national security that potentially poses.

Further, with all the aircraft in the very congested Los Angeles skies
operating at reduced separation standard distances, what ATC procedure has been
SHOWN to be safe when the satellite link suddenly fails and all those airborne
passengers suddenly find themselves in much closer proximity to each other than
has ever happened before? Surly, radar will be a fall-back safety net, so
there is no public financial incentive to purchase, deploy, train, and operate
such a satellite-based ATC system. It's inherently more hazardous due to its
reduced separation minimums. I would speculate that it only benefits the
airline industry and primarily contractor(s) installing Metroplex at the
expense of the tax payer, and paves the way for a reduction in the ATC
controller workforce due to increased computerized automation. If the
controller workforce is reduced, who will manually control the increased
traffic density of marginally separated flights when the system goes down?

Who the hell is in charge here, the profiteers or those charged with keeping
the skies safe?

================================================== ==============================

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

New satellite-based air traffic control system ready for takeoff in the crowded
skies of Southern California

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016. 4:50 PM

As soon as November, Southern Californians may see jets and planes coming and
going in parts of the sky where aircraft seldom flew, after the Federal
Aviation Administration’s announcement Friday that it is ready to replace its
aging air traffic control system in the region with new satellite-based
procedures.

FAA officials said the so-called Metroplex proposal can move forward because
the project’s environmental review — which found no significant impact — has
been completed after receiving and evaluating thousands of comments from the
public for the past year.

“We worked hard to balance the need to modernize with being responsive to
concerns we heard from Southern California communities,” said Ian Gregor, an
FAA spokesman in Los Angeles. “The modernization work we’re doing is laying the
foundation for future safety and efficiency improvements.”

The system, which officials call state-of-the-art, is designed to track
aircraft more precisely than current radar-based technology, potentially
freeing up congested corridors and allowing pilots to make shorter, safer
flights to their destinations.

For passengers, the anticipated benefits include less time in the air, reduced
taxiing times and the elimination of long delays on the tarmac or at terminal
gates. Nationally, flight delays and cancellations cost travelers an estimated
$16.7 billion a year, roughly the same amount as air carriers lose to those
inefficiencies.

Pilots and air traffic controllers say the new system should provide
substantial benefit in Southern California, which has some of the busiest
airspace in the nation. On a typical day, more than 11,000 aircraft take to the
skies, largely over the sprawling Los Angeles Basin.

The Metroplex system relies on sophisticated automation and global positioning
satellites that will let controllers and pilots know exactly where aircraft are
at all times instead of waiting every nine to 12 seconds for radar signals to
bounce back.

Air traffic control will be able to create more precise flight paths, keep
aircraft routes separated automatically and reduce radio communications with
pilots because instructions can be downloaded into onboard flight computers.

In addition, the new measures would let controllers space aircraft closer
together during takeoffs, landings and flights, meaning airports could handle
more traffic.

The Metroplex project— one of 14 in the nation — is the local application of
procedures and technology from the FAA’s sweeping NextGen program.

In Southern California, the new system includes 99 new departure, arrival and
approach procedures that use satellites to guide aircraft until they are very
close to their destination airports.

The Metroplex project, which includes six major and 15 smaller airports, also
will expand the number of places aircraft can enter and leave Southern
California airspace.

FAA officials say they will phase in the new procedures from November until
April 2017, during which time the agency will conduct more outreach to inform
the public about the changes.

As the procedures are implemented, some people on the ground might see aircraft
where they previously did not fly because of route changes and more
concentrated flight paths.

FAA officials say that other people might hear less aircraft noise, experience
no change or hear some small slight noise increases.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/...ern-california
NAVY CANCELS PLANNED GPS OUTAGE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
June 8, 2016 By Elizabeth A Tennyson

The U.S. Navy has canceled plans to jam GPS signals in the vicinity of the
China Lake, California, Naval Air Weapons Station. AOPA had raised concerns
about the impact on civilian air traffic and the size of the affected area. The
Navy did not reveal the cause of the cancellation, other than to say the reason
was “internal.”

Satellite-based navigation is becoming the norm.
Satellite-based navigation is becoming the norm. iStock photo.
AOPA had contacted the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZLA ARTCC)
and relevant FAA offices to express the association’s concerns about the
planned outage and its likely impact. The association also had asked the Navy
to provide justification for the large geographic area to be impacted by the
planned event.

“We have asked the military and FAA to be more transparent around planned GPS
outages so that civilian pilots can understand the possible impact on their
activities and plan their flights accordingly,” said Rune Duke, AOPA director
of airspace and air traffic.

The planned outage was scheduled for an area with a radius of up to 432
nautical miles on six different days in June, running from 4:30 pm to 10:30
p.m. each day.

The outage could have affected GPS and Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast signals. Degraded GPS signals also have been associated
with “unplanned pitch and roll events” in Embraer's Phenom 300.

The Department of Defense conducts an estimated 50 GPS jamming events each year
to train personnel to operate in an environment where the GPS signal is
degraded or unavailable.

Before a GPS outage can be scheduled, the military proponent must submit its
plans to the FAA, whose spectrum office analyzes the potential impact. That
impact is then depicted graphically and sent to air route traffic control
centers (ARTCCs) that would be affected. The ARTCCs and military then work
together to minimize the impact on civilian aircraft, including setting limits
on the duration of the jamming and the time of day it takes place. When
agreement is reached between the military and the FAA, the FAA issues notams
and flight advisories.

To protect civilian traffic, the FAA can call a halt to the jamming if it
believes the jamming is creating an unsafe situation for aircraft, for example
if navigation is impaired in the vicinity of convective activity.

AOPA closely monitors planned outages and works with the FAA, air traffic
control facilities, and the military to minimize impacts and provide
information to pilots.

“It’s worth noting that the graphics depicting the impact show the worst-case
scenario in order to provide a margin of safety for aircraft, and most outages
have a minimal impact on civilian aviation,” said Duke. “Nevertheless, it’s
important for pilots to be aware of GPS jamming and how it could affect their
flights.”

AOPA is working with the FAA to incorporate GPS outage graphics into its Notam
Search system, and some flight planning providers are looking for ways to
provide the graphics to their users as they do now with temporary flight
restrictions.

“Anytime pilots are affected by a GPS outage event, we encourage them to report
their experience,” said Duke. “Without reporting by pilots, it’s difficult to
know the extent and severity of impacts.”

Please share any impacts you have experienced from a GPS interference event
with AOPA: ?subject=GPSinterference
================================================== ============================

http://www.executivegov.com/2016/09/...oplex-project/
September 6, 2016
FAA said satellite-based air traffic control methods aim to facilitate use of
fixed aircraft routes, speeds and altitudes as well as reduce pilot-controller
communications and vectoring operations.

An environmental noise analysis at over 330,000 locations showed that the
implementation of the satellite-based procedures as part of the Metroplex
project would not lead to significant noise increases under the National
Environmental Policy Act.

FAA said it plans to implement the use of the satellite-based methods in
November through April 2017 and will hold public outreach efforts to notify
people of the project prior to the procedures’ publication.
================================================== ========================

https://www.faa.gov/news/press_relea...m?newsId=20774

Press Release – FAA Issues Record of Decision for Southern California Metroplex
Project
Print
Share
For Immediate Release
September 2, 2016
Contact: Ian Gregor
Phone:
WASHINGTON—The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Finding of No
Significant Impact/ Record of Decision for the Southern California Metroplex
project.
The decision enables the agency to move forward with the project, which will
replace dozens of existing conventional air traffic control procedures with new
satellite-based procedures. Prior to making the decision, the FAA conducted
thorough environmental reviews and approximately 90 public meetings and
stakeholder briefings. The agency also evaluated and responded to thousands of
public comments, and made a number of changes in response to public input.
The FAA plans to begin working immediately toward phasing in use of the
procedures, starting in November 2016 and continuing through April 2017. Before
publishing the procedures, the agency will conduct additional public outreach
to further inform people about the changes.
In all, the Southern California Metroplex project includes 99 new
satellite-based procedures, which are a key component of the FAA’s Next
Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The new procedures consist of
41 departures, 37 arrivals and 21 approach procedures that guide aircraft down
until they’re very close to their destination airports.
The project also expands the number of entry and exit points into and out of
the Southern California airspace, which is like creating more on- and off-ramps
in the sky. It encompasses most of Southern California and includes six major
airports and 15 satellite airports.
Modernization is needed because many of the current air traffic procedures in
Southern California are decades old. While they are all safe, some are
inefficient because they rely on ground-based navigation aids, which limit
available flight paths.
Some procedures are not fully optimized, meaning they are longer than
necessary, or require inefficient climbs and descents, or converge and occupy
the same airspace. As a result, air traffic controllers issue a series of
instructions to pilots to vector aircraft onto more direct routes and to keep
aircraft safely separated from each other. Vectoring, in turn, results in
irregular and less predictable flight paths and increases pilot-controller
communications and workload.
Satellite-based procedures, by contrast, allow for more optimized routing with
fixed routes, altitudes and speeds. Their precise flight tracks help keep
routes automatically separated. This in turn reduces the need for vectoring and
reduces controller-pilot communications.
Additionally, the NextGen modernization work that the FAA is doing nationwide
is laying the foundation for future safety and efficiency improvements.
The FAA’s environmental analysis for the project calculated noise at more than
330,000 locations throughout the study area. It showed the proposed action
would not result in any significant or reportable noise increases under the
National Environmental Policy Act.
The FAA held 11 public workshops on the project after releasing the Draft
Environmental Assessment in June 2015. Agency officials conducted approximately
79 additional briefings for stakeholders including community groups, tribes,
airport officials and local, state and federal officials.
Additionally, following a 120-day public comment period, the FAA evaluated and
responded to more than 4,000 comments before making a final decision on the
project. In response to comments received, the agency developed one new arrival
procedure and made changes to six other proposed procedures.
When the Southern California Metroplex procedures are implemented, some people
might see aircraft where they did not previously fly. This is because some air
route changes will occur, and because satellite-based procedures create more
concentrated flight paths than conventional procedures.
Some people will experience slight noise decreases, some will see no changes,
and some will experience small noise increases.
Some flight track dispersion will continue to occur after the new procedures
are implemented because the Metroplex project includes a number of existing
procedures. Also, air traffic controllers will need to occasionally vector
aircraft for safety or efficiency reasons or to reroute them around weather
systems.
The Finding of No Significant Impact/ Record of Decision, as well as the Final
Environmental Assessment, are available on the Southern California Metroplex
website
http://www.metroplexenvironmental.co...roduction.html .
The website’s Google Earth feature allows people to view the projected flight
paths and noise changes associated with the project.

Updates on procedure implementation dates will be provided on the project
website.
http://www.metroplexenvironmental.co...roduction.html

The FAA will announce the upcoming public outreach in press releases and on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the Metroplex website and possibly other
platforms too. The agency also will notify airport and elected officials about
the outreach.

###
================================================== =========================

http://www.metroplexenvironmental.co...questions.html

SoCal Metroplex Questions and Answers

Q: What is the Metroplex Program?
A: The Southern California Metroplex Project is a comprehensive proposal to
improve the flow of air traffic into and out of Southern California by making
the airspace safer and more efficient. The project proposes to replace dozens
of existing conventional air traffic procedures with new satellite-based
procedures, which are a key component of the FAA’s Next Generation Air
Transportation System (NextGen). Metroplex initiatives are completed, under
way, or planned in more than a dozen metropolitan areas across the country.

Q: How many new procedures does it include?
A: In all, the Southern California Metroplex Project includes 99 new
satellite-based procedures, which are a key component of the FAA’s Next
Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The new procedures consist of
41 departures, 37 arrivals, and 21 approach procedures that guide aircraft down
until they’re very close to their destination airports. The project also
includes nine revised satellite-based procedures that were already in place, as
well as revised or maintained conventional arrival and departure procedures
that were already in place.

Additionally, the project also expands the number of entry and exit points into
and out of the Southern California airspace, which is like creating more
efficient on- and off-ramps in the sky.

Q: Where is the Southern California Metroplex project located?
A: The project encompasses most of Southern California and includes 21
airports, including six major airports.

Q: What is the purpose of the project and who will benefit?
A: The project will replace dozens of existing conventional air traffic control
procedures with new satellite-based procedures. Nationally, the NextGen
evolution from ground-based air traffic control to a satellite-based system
improves safety and efficiency.

Q: Why is the project necessary?
A: Society is modernizing all around us, and it’s critical that the FAA does as
well. From coast to coast, we are upgrading the nation’s air traffic control
system and improving the safety, efficiency, reliability, and availability of
air transportation in the United States. Modernization is needed because many
of the current air traffic procedures in Southern California are decades old.
While they are all safe, some are inefficient because they rely on ground-based
navigation aids, which limit available flight paths.

Some procedures are not fully optimized, meaning they are longer than
necessary, or require inefficient climbs and descents, or converge and occupy
the same airspace. As a result, air traffic controllers issue a series of
instructions to pilots to vector aircraft onto more direct routes and to keep
aircraft safely separated from each other. Vectoring, in turn, results in
irregular and less predictable flight paths and increases pilot-controller
communications and workload.

Satellite-based procedures, by contrast, allow for more optimized routing with
fixed routes, altitudes, and speeds. Their precise flight tracks help keep
routes automatically separated. This in turn reduces the need for vectoring and
reduces controller-pilot communications.

Q: Has the FAA made a final decision to implement the project?
A: Yes. The Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision enable the
FAA to move forward with the project.

Q: Will I get a response from the FAA on the comment I submitted during the
public comment period?
A: The FAA evaluated and responded to more than 4,000 public comments we
received during the 120-day public comment period. The agency grouped similar
comments together and responded to all of the general substantive comments we
received.

Q: What kind of outreach did the FAA do for the project?
A: The FAA held 11 public workshops on the project after releasing the Draft
Environmental Assessment in June 2015. Agency officials conducted approximately
79 additional briefings for stakeholders including community groups, tribes,
airport officials, and local, state, and federal officials.

Q: When will aircraft start flying the new procedures?
A: The FAA plans to begin working immediately toward phasing in use of the
procedures, starting in November 2016 and continuing through April 2017. Before
publishing the procedures, the agency will conduct additional public outreach
to further inform people about the changes. Updates on procedure implementation
dates will be provided on the project website at
http://www.metroplexenvironmental.co...roduction.html.

Q: Will I see aircraft flying new routes they have not typically flown in the
past?
A: When the Southern California Metroplex procedures are implemented, some
people might see aircraft where they did not previously fly. This is because
some air route changes will occur, and because satellite-based procedures
create more concentrated flight paths than conventional procedures.

Q: Will the new procedures increase the noise generated from aircraft?
A: The FAA’s environmental analysis for the project calculated noise at more
than 330,000 locations throughout the study area. It showed the Proposed Action
would not result in any significant or reportable noise increases under the
National Environmental Policy Act. Some people will experience slight noise
decreases, some will see no changes, and some will experience small noise
increases.

Q: What is the FAA going to do to mitigate the noise increases that some people
will experience?
A: The project will not exceed thresholds of significance for any environmental
impact category, so no mitigations are being proposed.

Q: Will the FAA hold public meetings?
A: Before publishing the procedures, the agency will conduct additional public
outreach to further inform people about the changes. The FAA will announce the
public outreach in press releases and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the
Metroplex website, and possibly other platforms too. The agency also will
notify airport and elected officials about the outreach.

Q: Where do I file a noise complaint?
A: Noise complaints should be filed with your local airport noise office.

Q: How can I get more information on the project and more information related
to impacts in my community?
A: The Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision, as well as the
Draft and Final Environmental Assessments, are available on the project website
at
http://www.metroplexenvironmental.co...roduction.html.
The website includes features that allow people to use Google Earth to view
current flight tracks and flight tracks of the new procedures, as well as noise
changes associated with the new procedures

Contact

For additional information or to comment please contact:

SoCal Metroplex EA
FAA, Western Service Center - Operations Support Group
1601 Lind Avenue SW
Renton, WA 98057

================================================== =================

http://www.whitepages.com/business/b...co-renton-wa-5
Boeing Co
500 Park Ave N
Renton, WA 98057-5581
================================================== =================

Remember this other Boeing profiteering scheme?


Darleen Druyun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darleen_Druyun
Wikipedia
Darleen A. Druyun (born November 7, 1947) is a former United States Air Force
civilian official ... Main article: United States Air Force tanker contract
controversy ... After leaving the Air Force in 2003 Druyun took a job with
Boeing at an ... CBS News called it "the biggest Pentagon scandal in 20 years"
and said that she ...


Ex-Boeing CFO pleads guilty in tanker deal scandal - The Seattle Times
http://www.seattletimes.com/html/......bboeing16.html
The Seattle Times
Nov 16, 2004 - WASHINGTON — Boeing's former chief financial officer pleaded
guilty yesterday to illegally hiring an Air Force official who helped negotiate
a ...


Ex-Boeing CFO gets jail for tanker scandal - Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bo...dal-story.html
Chicago Tribune
Feb 18, 2005 - The former aerospace executive has admitted improperly offering
Air Force procurement official Darleen Druyun a position at Boeing while she
was concluding negotiations on a $23-billion Air Force deal to acquire 100
aerial refueling tankers from the company. Druyun and Sears are ...


WILLIAMS: Two scandals, one lesson learned - Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/.../t...-lesson-learne...
The Washington Times
Aug 3, 2011 - The Air Force refueling-tanker story began when a provision was
added ... Even though Boeing eventually won a third bid, the scandal put the
....

Boeing: Corporate Rap Sheet | Corporate Research Project
www.corp-research.org/boeing
Boeing is both a powerhouse of the commercial aircraft industry—its jets are
among the ... The scandal also led to the resignation of Boeing's chief
executive.


CorpWatch : Boeing Scandal Part of Deeper Problems at Pentagon
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11780 › Industries › War & Disaster
Profiteering
CorpWatch
Jan 5, 2005 - Military contractors like Boeing, Halliburton and Lockheed, have
become ... Touted by the news media as the biggest Pentagon scandal in decades,
the .... “What once was considered corruption is now considered standard ...

On Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 9:32:57 AM UTC-5, Larry Dighera wrote:
Another Boeing Boondoggle Creates Potential Hazard In Skies Over Los Angeles

Call me Chicken Little, but....

I take issue with this quote from the following article:

"The Metroplex system relies on sophisticated automation and global
positioning satellites that will let controllers and pilots know exactly
where aircraft are at all times instead of waiting every nine to 12 seconds
for radar signals to bounce back."

In fact, controllers will not KNOW the correct position of aircraft at all. ATC
will know the position each aircraft reports via the GPS-based ADS/B system.
That's significantly less certain than the empirical evidence provided by
physically bouncing a radio signal off the aircraft, as it has been
demonstrated that weak satellite signals can be overridden with more powerful
terrestrial-based radio transmitters, and satellites are vulnerable to solar
disturbances such as Solar Mass Ejections. It also opens the specter of ATC
spoofing and the hazards to national security that potentially poses.

Further, with all the aircraft in the very congested Los Angeles skies
operating at reduced separation standard distances, what ATC procedure has been
SHOWN to be safe when the satellite link suddenly fails and all those airborne
passengers suddenly find themselves in much closer proximity to each other than
has ever happened before? Surly, radar will be a fall-back safety net, so
there is no public financial incentive to purchase, deploy, train, and operate
such a satellite-based ATC system. It's inherently more hazardous due to its
reduced separation minimums. I would speculate that it only benefits the
airline industry and primarily contractor(s) installing Metroplex at the
expense of the tax payer, and paves the way for a reduction in the ATC
controller workforce due to increased computerized automation. If the
controller workforce is reduced, who will manually control the increased
traffic density of marginally separated flights when the system goes down?

Who the hell is in charge here, the profiteers or those charged with keeping
the skies safe?

First, I bet that Boeing is just the Gen. Contractor with guys like Harris, Raytheon, etc. providing the hardware. I can imagine the GA entitlement boys being too cheap to buy whatever extra cockpit hardware is needed to operate in Metroplex. And I doubt any professional commercial crew will endanger their pax or themselves in a flaky system.

Larry Dighera wrote:

Another Boeing Boondoggle Creates Potential Hazard In Skies Over Los
Angeles

Call me Chicken Little, but....

I take issue with this quote from the following article:

"The Metroplex system relies on sophisticated automation and global
positioning satellites that will let controllers and pilots know
exactly where aircraft are at all times instead of waiting every nine
to 12 seconds for radar signals to bounce back."

In fact, controllers will not KNOW the correct position of aircraft at
all. ATC will know the position each aircraft reports via the GPS-based
ADS/B system. That's significantly less certain than the empirical
evidence provided by physically bouncing a radio signal off the aircraft,
as it has been demonstrated that weak satellite signals can be overridden
with more powerful terrestrial-based radio transmitters, and satellites
are vulnerable to solar
disturbances such as Solar Mass Ejections. It also opens the specter of
ATC spoofing and the hazards to national security that potentially poses.

Further, with all the aircraft in the very congested Los Angeles skies
operating at reduced separation standard distances, what ATC procedure has
been SHOWN to be safe when the satellite link suddenly fails and all those
airborne passengers suddenly find themselves in much closer proximity to
each other than
has ever happened before? Surly, radar will be a fall-back safety net, so
there is no public financial incentive to purchase, deploy, train, and
operate
such a satellite-based ATC system. It's inherently more hazardous due to
its
reduced separation minimums. I would speculate that it only benefits the
airline industry and primarily contractor(s) installing Metroplex at the
expense of the tax payer, and paves the way for a reduction in the ATC
controller workforce due to increased computerized automation. If the
controller workforce is reduced, who will manually control the increased
traffic density of marginally separated flights when the system goes down?

Who the hell is in charge here, the profiteers or those charged with
keeping the skies safe?

It also relies on constant reliable communication between airplanes and
ground, ground and airplanes, and airplanes to airplanes.
That is 1) An incredible amount of bandwidth, and 2) Not likely - there's
hardware involved - hardware _will_ fail.

It may be a noce to have, but there needs to be a backup that works with
non-cooperating aircraft.
..
--
Pete Stickney
Always remember to close all parentheses.
We're not paying to air-condition the entire paragraph.