International Air Safety and Security Exhibition

Citation

(2004), "International Air Safety and Security Exhibition", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 76 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2004.12776bac.002

International Air Safety and Security Exhibition

International Air Safety and Security Exhibition

Keywords: Aircraft, Safety, Security, Conference

The range of products and services at the exhibition was so extensive that a representative selection that is featured gives an idea of those directly connected to aviation safety and security while indicating the technical advances made in all areas. The National Air Traffic Service publicised its Electronic Briefing Solution (EBS) which is designed to safeguard business information. It allows the users to receive verified and secured target information on their local PC. This information can be one of the two types: a brief targeted at specific user groups and providing general information that is not crucial for staff to read; and an instruction, also targeted at specific users groups but providing specific information that may be crucial for staff to read and understand.

Typical examples include the deployment of EBS at the UK ATC centres in Swanwick, West Drayton and Prestwick. In these locations it is used to brief Air Traffic Controllers ATCOs) before they commence each shift. EBS allows the ATCOs to be briefed with both general and specific information, tailored to the airspace sectors for which they have the responsibility. EBS also ensures that a record is maintained, showing which briefs were read by which ATCO and how long they spent on each. EBS runs on a Windows NT 4.0 Server using Internet Information Server 4.0, Indexing Server and SCL Server.

AD Aerospace

This company which is located in the UK and USA, designs and manufactures the FlightVu of aerospace video camera products which includes advanced security, safety and entertainment systems. In addition to general security applications, these systems can be used for monitoring activity in the cockpit, passenger cabin and cargo hold surveillance. CabinVu, the latest in the company's FlightVu range, offers the flight deck crew an opportunity to assess the situation outside the cockpit door and identify passengers before allowing them to access the flight deck. The “entry level” system, consisting of a single video camera located outside the cockpit door, is expandable to a full “FlightVu Witness” system, which extends the camera coverage throughout the passenger cabin. The complete Witness system uses a digital video server to record the images for future use in investigation, analysis and prosecution, and can also be seamlessly integrated with ground based security systems using wireless “Getelink” connections to the airport terminal.

AD Aerospace has teamed up with LiveT to provide CCTV cameras and monitors to the Jet Blue fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft in the first full fleet fit of video surveillance equipment. This together with their earlier installation of bullet proof force resistant doors means that this airline will be the first to comply with the Phase II Cockpit Door Modification programme backed by ICAO.

Airside vehicles

One section of the Thales company deals with all matters connected with airside vehicle operations. Various means are employed including the Driver Enhanced Vision System (DEVS) in which Thales has integrated the best technologies to provide a compliant USA FAA system which requires emergency vehicles to respond in safety in all weather conditions to an airfield incident within a 3 min response window.

Tracs- TDMA containing a high speed tracking and data communications system using time division multiple access combines differential GPS accuracy with UHF or VHF communications to permit tracking and guidance within a designated area. Location and status reports, containing information such as speed and direction of travel are automatically transmitted by each mobile at user defined intervals. The reporting rate of all mobiles logged onto the TDMA network can be configured by the control centre adaptively to between 1 and 60 s.

For event management, by defining certain criteria, automatic alerts can be set-up to advise operators of one or more events triggered by vehicle activity, such as entering a restricted area. Tracs-Scene Air divides the management of vehicle activity into three categories, namely event, warning, or emergency. Tracs-Scene Air can also form part of the referred-to DEVS, allowing operations in all conditions. The mobile units receive messages and incident reports from the control centre, as well as markers on the airfield. An in-vehicle display system provides the driver with situation awareness of own vehicle position by means of a self-orientating map display of the airport, overlaid with the position plots of other mobile units collated by the Tracs-Scene Air system.

A widespread distributor

AAXICO was prominent at the exhibition as the distributor of a wide range of safety and security products of various companies. These include Dayton-Granger Electrostatic lightning protection antennas, static dischargers, couplers, etc., and Bruce Industries Aircraft signs to illuminate passenger information that have been designed and made to applicable aviation requirements. Parts are available with traditional incandescent lamps or as long-lasting low power LED designs. Another product that is distributed is the Pedestrian in-line Guidance (PIG) system which is a fast, strong and mobile solution for ramp and airport safety. It is the first portable barrier system that can expand to over 104 ft and keeps passengers to the safest route while boarding and deplaning. Easily manoeuvred and placed into any position by a single person, it saves time and labour where safety and security control issues are pre- eminent.

Security inspection systems

The international Rapiscan Company includes the Model 520B X-ray system designed for demanding areas such as airports. The system offers a tunnel opening of 25.2 in. (640 mm) wide by 16.9 in. (430 mm) high to accommodate large package sizes. Intel Pentium computer technology is behind all the developments and the Model 520B offers crystal clear as a standard feature and can be optionally equipped with the Operator Training Program, Manual Image Archive and Enhanced Performance X-ray. This enables rapid and consistent detection capabilities, identifying material with specific characteristics. The threat image projection (TIP) facility provides real-time operator training and performance monitoring and where many TIP systems are utilised in one location, TIPNET provides ease in management of multiple users, test schedule settings, downloading of data, etc. Todd Research also provides advanced X-ray screening units including the TR Detector 8 which incorporates the latest radiological imaging technology. The system consists of an operator console, conveyor unit and dual monitors, controlled by an integrated PC operating system. A preset colour code is displayed when a specific material is detected. Brown indicates the presence of an organic material, Green the presence of an inorganic or composite material, and Blue indicates ferrous and non-ferrous metals of higher density. There is also an optional software that can be programmed to alarm and place a coloured frame around a large quantity of a certain material, for example, areas highlighted yellow may indicate the presence of drugs and red may indicate the presence of explosives.

A networked CCTV surveillance solution is provided by the Belgian Telindus Company which embarked on a project to upgrade and improve airport security at large facilities in the 1990s. CellStack Systems provides the video codes and integration products. The system has been designed to provide the Operations Centre with proactive monitoring and alarm panic buttons that are located on each of the check-in desks and wired back to a cell stack expansion box in a remote wiring close along with the video from the JVC dome cameras. Using a scripted control system running on a control unit the Operations Centres are automatically shown as high quality, low latency video images of the check-in desks should an alarm button be activated and are able to react using real-time full motion high-resolution images.

Organisations mentionedNational Air Traffic Service, Contact: Tel: 020 8745 3941.AD Aerospace, Contact: Tel: 0870 442 4524.Thales Navigation Compass House, Davis, Surrey KT9 17B. Tel: 0870 601 0000.AAXICO European Office, Contact: Tel: 01730 268641.Telindus Corporate Geldenaaksebaan 335, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium. Tel: 0032 16 38 20 11.Rapiscan UK Office Unit B1, The Fleming Centre, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 2NN, Tel: 01293 540661.Details of IASS 2004 available from: IIR. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7915 6659, Fax:+44 (0) 20 7915 5001; E-mail: rirving@iir-conferences.coms