First Commercial Flight By Continental Airlines Using Satellite ...
CALGARY, Sept. 21 /CNW/ - A new era of commercial aviation will begin today
in the United States when Continental Airlines performs the first commercial
flight using a revolutionary satellite landing system.
Honeywell Inc. and Pelorus Navigation Systems Inc. (ASE: PN) of Calgary
designed and developed the system, which is the only GPS Landing System (GLS)
in the world that has received all necessary approvals from the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). The inaugural GLS flight, originating in
Washington, D.C. will be conducted aboard a Continental Airlines MD-80. The
historic landings will be made at Newark and Minneapolis-St. Paul international
airports.
''Continental is proud to become the first carrier to take advantage of the
increased level of safety and efficiency afforded by GLS'', said Fred Abbott,
Vice President of Operations for Continental. ''GLS is a fundamental
cornerstone in updating the National Airspace System.''
The Honeywell/Pelorus GLS provides a cost-effective way to alleviate airport
congestion and weather-related delays at airports around the world. The
airborne and ground-based technology helps pilots land their aircraft safely by
utilizing GPS technology to produce precise navigation data. A single GLS
installation also costs far less than comparable Instrument Landing Systems
(ILS), which previously had been the state of the art at the world's airports.
The Honeywell/Pelorus system - called SLS-2000--is the only GLS to receive
all FAA certifications needed to make Continental's historic flight possible.
It is also the only system to have commissioned installations at major airports
in the U.S. & and Canada.
''This is truly a historic day,'' said Michael Smith, Honeywell Vice
President and General Manager. ''In three years, the developers of GLS, with
the support and cooperation of Continental Airlines and the Twin Cities and New
York/New Jersey airports, were able to create a system that will significantly
control costs while improving the efficiency and safety of airports throughout
the world. The FAA gave the system a high priority as it conducted the rigorous
regimen of tests for certification. We look forward to a continuation of this
close business-government working relationship as GLS expands worldwide.''
''Commercial airlines are the major market drivers for the SLS-2000 system,
which is the most advanced in the world,'' said Michael Beamish, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Pelorus Navigation Systems, which was established in
Calgary in 1983. ''Today is a major milestone in aviation history and for the
Honeywell/Pelorus team.'' Newark and Minneapolis-St. Paul international
airports became pioneers in the airport industry when they were commissioned to
use the Honeywell/Pelorus system in January 1998. Commercial installations of
the SLS-2000 are also in place at airports in Regina and Saskatoon, Canada, and
in progress in Australia and Brazil, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Cedar Rapids,
Iowa.
''GLS helps decrease noise by enabling aircraft to avoid long, low runway
approaches,'' said Jeffrey Hamiel, Executive Director of the Metropolitan
Airports Commission, owner and operator of Minneapolis-St. Paul international
Airport. ''We expect GLS to become the standard for airports and airlines
around the world.''
Robert J. Kelly, Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey, which operates Newark, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports,
said: ''We congratulate Continental on achieving this aviation milestone. We
believe GLS will be the pivotal component in the redesign of aviation airspace,
alleviating the congestion and environmental concerns currently plaguing the
world's airports.''
In addition to its commercial and business aviation applications, SLS-2000
also is being utilized in military aviation and in the U.S. space program. NASA
has installed the system for use with its Space Shuttle training aircraft at
Cape Canaveral, Florida and White Sands, New Mexico. The U.S. Armed Forces
installed the SLS-2000 at Hanscom Air Force Base and Patuxent River Naval Air
Station.
The development program, which has culminated in operational approval and
today's historic flight, began in 1995.
The Alberta Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the
information contained herein.
/For further information: please contact any of the following or the Pelorus
web site www.pelorus.ca; Michael Beamish, Pelorus Navigation Systems Inc.,
(403) 730-5555; Steven Henden, Honeywell Airport Systems, (602) 436-5312;
Sarah Anthony, Continental Airlines Inc., (713) 834-5080; Melissa Young,
Honeywell Inc., (612) 951-0773; Wendy Burt, Metropolitan Airports Commission,
(612) 726-5335; Bill Cahill, Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J., (212) 435-7777/
09:59 ET
|
