World's First on Royal Air Maroc:
FAA Certifies Classic 737 with
Honeywell/Trimble System for BASIC
RNAV
Equipment allows airline to fly more direct routes
in European airspace
SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 17, 1998 --Moroccan
flagship airline Royal Air Maroc has become the
first 737 operator to obtain FAA certification for the
Honeywell/Trimble HT9100 Global Navigation
Management System. The HT system earned its
Supplemental Type Certificate on a Royal Air Maroc
737-200 airplane.
The HT9100 is a full flight regime lateral navigation
system designed to provide state-of-the-art
navigation performance. The system combines the
accuracy of Global Positioning System (GPS)
technology with established airline flight
management system (FMS) operational procedures.
The HT9100 permits GPS navigation under
Instrument Meteorological Conditions for en-route,
terminal area and approach operations.
The concept of Basic Area Navigation, or B-RNAV,
is to ease congestion in European airways by
requiring aircraft to be fitted with equipment that
will allow more direct routings by Air Traffic
Control within B-RNAV designated airspace.
The concept was developed with the intention that
many operators would be able to use existing
on-board systems without the need to re-equip.
However, not all operators have FMS D in
particular, many regional and corporate operators,
together with airlines using older, noisy aircraft that
may soon be banned from European airspace
anyway.
The Honeywell/Trimble system provides a
cost-effective means of meeting B-RNAV
requirements and since its 1996 introduction has sold
more than 1,000 systems. With equipment
certification now accomplished, Royal Air Maroc is
expected to receive B-RNAV approval from
Eurocontrol, the Brussels-based air traffic control
organization, in April.
Headquartered in Casablanca, Royal Air Maroc
provides international, regional and domestic
scheduled and charter passenger and cargo service.
In addition, RAM Industrial Maintenance Center
offers extensive maintenance, modification and
aircraft installation capabilities on 727, 737, 757
and ATR aircraft. This capability is thanks to a
JAR145-approved facility (to become
FAR145-approved this summer) and a staff of 1,300
employees, including more than 340 licensed
airframe engineers and 190 avionics engineers.
"This certification is the culmination of a very
successful installation program, with our engineers
working against a challenging schedule; indeed, the
certification was successfully achieved in less than
three months," said Fouad Attar, deputy vice
president for Royal Air Maroc. "It demonstrates not
only our determination to be ready for the B-RNAV
operating environment, but also showcases the skills
our technical department has developed for managing
this kind of installation."
"This success also furthers our strategy of enhancing
our in-house installation and certification capability,
allowing us to offer this service to third party
operators," Attar said.
The cooperation between Honeywell and RAM is
now being extended to the next program with the first
worldwide SATCOM Aero I installation on the
new-generation Boeing 737, due in May 1998.
Some industry experts are predicting that the
introduction of B-RNAV procedures will lead to a
30 percent increase in airspace capacity. In the
longer term, the use of precision area navigation D a
higher performance version of RNAV D combined
with reductions in vertical separation could lead to a
60 percent capacity benefit.
Trimble and Avionics
Trimble Avionics supplies products to many
markets, from sport recreational flying up to and
including air transport. Trimble products are
marketed under the Trimble, Terra by Trimble,
TrimLine, TrimConnect, and Honeywell-Trimble
brand names. These products include GPS navigation
systems, audio panels, nav receivers, ADF systems,
VHF comm transceivers, radar altimeters, indicators,
flight telephone systems, transponders, and GPS
Flight Management Systems. The company's
aerospace division is located in Austin, Texas.
About Trimble
Trimble is a world leader in the emerging
commercial markets for GPS satellite-based
navigation, positioning and communication data
products. The company holds more U.S. patents on
GPS and related technology than any other
organization. Trimble products are sold world-wide
for diverse applications including land and
hydrographic surveying; mapping/GIS data
acquisition; military; general, corporate and
commercial aviation; marine navigation; vehicle
tracking and communications; and mobile GPS. The
company also manufactures and sells GPS engines
for the OEM market. Founded in 1978 and located in
Sunnyvale, Calif., Trimble has been a leader in
providing GPS solutions since 1984.
About Honeywell
Honeywell is a global controls company focused on
creating value through technology that enhances
comfort, improves productivity, saves energy,
protects the environment and increases safety. The
company services customers worldwide in the
homes and buildings, industrial, and aviation and
space markets. Honeywell employs 57,500 people in
95 countries, and had 1997 sales of $8 billion. Look
for Honeywell on the World Wide Web at
honeywell.com
Contact: Lea Ann McNabb of Trimble:
408-481-7808
Contact: Jim Viehdeffer of Honeywell:
605-436-2203 |
