FAA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR AVIATION INCLUDES UA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2001
Fairbanks, Alaska – The University of Alaska has been selected to work with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as part of a new Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation. The center will also include Wichita State University, the University of North Dakota and Florida A&M.
The university will enter into cooperative agreements with the FAA that allow the center to share as an equal technical and fiscal partner in support of general aviation, safety-related research and development programs.
The Fairbanks campus already has an established track record for this kind of collaboration due in part to the efforts of graduate engineering student Jim Buckingham, who worked with the aviation community to get a prototype weather observation camera operational. Largely through his efforts, pilots can now view weather conditions in remote areas of Alaska via the world wide web at 18 separate camera stations across the state before deciding whether or not to fly. The FAA has plans to roughly double the number of sites in the next year.
"The successful cooperation on the weather observation project is an example of the kinds of things that can be done to improve the infrastructure to aviation, but there are no limitations," said Tom George, a representative with the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation, a statewide aviation advocacy group. "This center is important to pilots, but also benefits the general public who has to use air transportation to get around the state of Alaska; there are plenty of opportunities to improve safety for the public at large."
There are already researchers at UAF working on a prototype for an acoustic based aircraft counter to monitor air traffic, a project that could have broad implications for general aviation. UAF Geophysical Institute Atmospheric Science Professor Jeff Tilley, is looking at in-flight icing forecast issues specific to the Far North, where for many, air travel is a way of life and where there is a high rate of airplane accidents.
"We expect to be able to provide expertise in the areas of engineering and atmospheric sciences relating to air transportation," said Steve Mattingly, UAF professor of civil and environmental engineering. "The university will work with the aviation community to identify specific projects that can also be extended to other parts of the country as well."
The center will cover the entire spectrum of general aviation research from engineering development, fundamental modeling and prototyping, through the process of awarding contracts and grants.
"This is great recognition for the University of Alaska to be part of an FAA Center of Excellence," said Rep. Don Young, Chairman of the U.S. House Transportation Committee. "It demonstrates the high quality of research conducted there and the caliber of university we have."
UAF will also work closely with the University of Alaska Anchorage. UAA’s Aviation Technology Division is currently involved with the FAA contract as part of Capstone, an aviation safety initiative that involves global positioning system navigation, terrain avoidance technology, traffic alerting and data linking of weather conditions directly to the cockpit. On Jan. 1, 2001 ATD was involved in the first-ever use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B) as an alternative to radar. This allowed aircraft to receive vectors to the Bethel airport, which does not have traffic radar. As part of the contract the UAA’s Aviation Technology Division is also conducting a safety study and pilot training on the Capstone equipment.
"The goal of FAA is to create a world-class safety consortium—ready as needed to address the needs of the national airspace system," said Patricia Watts, FAA Center of Excellence Director.
Funding for the center will be provided through cost-share contract awards and grants subject to dollar-for-dollar matching fund requirements mandated by Congress. The award represents a long-term commitment from the FAA, but the center will strive to become self-supporting over the next decade.
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Note to Editors: For more information visit the following web sites: http://www.alaska.faa.gov/capstone/, http://akweathercams.faa.gov, http://www.faa.gov/
CONTACT: Steve Mattingly, Project Principal Investigator, UAF Civil Engineering Department at (907) 474-7977 or Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation’s Northern Regional Representative, Tom George at (907) 455-9000.
CJB/05/18/01/01-073