NEW
NEW TECHNOLOGIES AIM TO MAKE FUTURE FLIGHTS SAFER AND BETTER
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
>> WE'RE TRAVELING TO THE
REMOTE NORTHEAST CORNER OF
MONTANA TO WITNESS THE FIRST
AIRPORT TEST OF ONE OF THESE
EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES.
EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES. >> SO WE ARE GOING TO BE
TAXIING AN AIRPORT NEAR
OBSTACLES.
OBSTACLES. OBSTACLES WHICH MAY BE OUT OF
THE PILOT'S VIEW.
>> THIS IS GLASGOW AND PACKED
WITH BOEING TEST AMERICAN
PERSONNEL FROM PUGET SOUND.
WESLEY IS THE TESTER, CARRY
SMITH WILL HANDLE THE PLANE.
THERE ARE YOUNG ENGINEERS
INCLUDING AMILIA WILSON AND
SHARON.
SHARON.
SHARON. DOUG OVERSEES THE ECHO
DEMONSTRATOR PROGRAM.
DEMONSTRATOR PROGRAM. OUTSIDE IT'S BEGINNING TO SNOW.
>> IF THINGS GET BAD, IT IS A
TAXI TEST, WE ARE GOING TO BE
OKAY THERE.
OKAY THERE. >> A KEY POINT OF THIS TEST IS
THE LACK OF VISIBILITY ON-RAMPS
AND ON TAXI WAYS AT AIRPORTS IN
BAD WEATHER AND AT NIGHT.
OUR AIRPLANE, A BOEING TRIPLE 7
FREIGHTER LEASED BACK BY FEDEX.
OBSTACLE, THIS INFLATABLE PYLON
ON THE BACK OF A BOEING
FIRETRUCK.
FIRETRUCK. THE QUESTION, REQUEST I NEW
RADAR MOUNTED ON THE TIP OF THE
LEFT WING SENSE THE SHEET OF
ALUMINUM TAPED TO IT AND CAN
SENSORS GET THE LOCATION.
>> FLIGHT CREWS WITH
INDICATIONS OF IMPENDING IMPACT.
>> HE SPENT 30 YEARS AS A TEST
PILOT.
PILOT.
PILOT. HE
PILOT. HE FLEW WITH THE NAVY.
SO DID SMITH, ONE OF BOEING'S
NEWEST TEST PILOTS.
>> YOU CAN'T SEE THE WING TIP
RIGHT OR LEFT.
>> 10 FEET AHEAD OF WING AND
THAT'S WHERE WE WANT THE PYLON
TO BE.
TO BE.
TO BE. >>
TO BE. >> THIS IS SURFACE OPERATIONS
COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM.
EVEN IF THE PYLON IS HIT, THE
WING WILL CLEAR THE BACK OF THE
FIRETRUCK WITH PLENTY OF ROOM.
DESPITE THE SNOW, THERE IS STILL
PLENTY OF VISIBILITY.
THEY KNOW WHEN TO STOP BECAUSE
OF PLACEMENT OF ORANGE CONES
>> WE ARE CLEAR OF THE
OBSTACLE.
OBSTACLE.
OBSTACLE. >> ALL RIGHT.
WE ARE MOVING.
>> AMILIA WILSON IS MANAGING
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE
COLLISION POINT.
COLLISION POINT. >> WE ARE TRYING TO SIMULATE
SITUATIONS AT AN AIRPORT WHERE
ONE AIRCRAFT MAY GET REALLY
CLOSE TO ANOTHER ONE.
SO YOU THINK OF THE BACKUP
SYSTEM ON YOUR CAR, IT BEEPS AT
YOU WHEN YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. WE ARE TRYING TO DO THE SAME
THING, EXCEPT FOR AIRPLANES
>> IT'S A HUGE AIRCRAFT,
WINGSPAN 212 FEET FROM TIP TO
TIP.
TIP.
TIP. >>
TIP. >> 15 KNOTS.
>> 15.
>> 15.
>> 15. >>
>> 15. >> TESTS ARE RAN AT DIFFERENT
SPEEDS AND THE FIRETRUCK AT
DIFFERENT ANGLES.
DIFFERENT ANGLES. THE WARNING OF A COLLISION IS
WHEN THE RADAR PICKS UP A BEEP
OR BEEPS IN THE COCKPIT.
THE MEASUREMENT IS APPLIED AND
GAUGE HOW MUCH WARNING THE
PILOTS RECEIVED.
PILOTS RECEIVED. MICHELLE WARREN WORKING WITH THE
RADAR.
RADAR.
RADAR. >>
RADAR. >> WE SEE ALL TYPES OF
CROSS-SECTIONS REFLENTHING BACK
TO OUR RADAR FROM THE SNOW, FROM
THE PAVEMENT AND WE FILTER OUT
THE HIGHEST ONES THAT WILL BE
REFLECTED OFF THE PYLON AND THE
FIRETRUCK.
FIRETRUCK. THIS IS RESEARCH.
THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME TRYING
SOMETHING ON THIS BIG OF A
PLATFORM, SO IT'S AN EXCITING
THING.
THING.
THING. >>
THING. >> SPOT ON
>> WE DIDN'T KNOW WHICH TO STOP
ON.
ON.
ON. >>
ON. >> ALL YOU NEED IS A FEW
SECONDS TO BRING THE PLANE TO A
STOP.
STOP.
STOP. YOU
STOP. YOU CAN TELL THE CREW TO STOP
AND SORT IT OUT.
MAYBE THERE IS A CONFLICT, MAYBE
THERE ISN'T.
THERE ISN'T. BUT STOP, SORT IT OUT, AND GO ON
YOUR MERRY WAY.
>> THERE IS NO BEEPS.
>> SOME FOLLOW THE TRUCK AS
IT'S MOVING, NOT UNLIKE ONE
PLANE TAXIING AHEAD OF ANOTHER
AND PULLING OFF, IN THIS CASE
WITHOUT LEAVING ENOUGH ROOM.
IN THIS TEST, NO BEEPS.
NEXT TEST THERE IS PROMISE HERE,
BUT IT WILL TAKE YEARS BEFORE
THIS SYSTEM BECOMES A FINISHED
PRODUCT.
PRODUCT.
PRODUCT. WILL IT SIMPLY BE AN AUDIBLE
WARNING LIKE A BEEP, A BEEP
COMBINED WITH A DASHBOARD
DISPLAY?
DISPLAY?
DISPLAY? MIKE HAS SOME IDEAS.
>> WE WOULD HAVE SOME AIRPORT
MAP ON A BIGGER DISPLAY, WITH A
SMALLER SCALE, MAYBE A QUARTER
OF A MILE.
IF THAT TARGET LOOKED LIKE AN
IMPENDING TARGET TO THE AIRPORT
AT ITS CURRENT VELOCITY AT THE
KUFRNT RATE IT WOULD -- CURRENT
RATE, IT WOULD TURN YELLOW.
AND IF WE NEEDED TO TAKE SOME
DRASTIC ACTION, IT WOULD TURN
RED.
RED.
RED. >>
RED. >> WE HAVE PEOPLE, STAFF, THAT
CAN TEST IN ANY KIND OF WEATHER.
>> DOUG CHRISTIANSON HEADS THE
PROGRAM
PROGRAM
PROGRAM >> WE DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL END
UP BEING RADAR BASED TECHNOLOGY
OR CAMERA BASED.
SO HAVING AN ECO DEMONSTRATOR
HERE, WE CAN PUT BOOET ON THE --
BOTH ON THE PLANE AND SEE HOW
THEY WORK IN SNOWY WEATHER AND
CLEAR WEATHER.
CLEAR WEATHER. >> THEY CAN DO THE TESTING
WITHOUT INTERFERENCE BECAUSE IT
OWNS THIS AIRPORT, A FORMER AIR
FORCE BASE.
FORCE BASE. >> YOU CAN CATCH OUR STORY ON
WHAT WAS ONCE THE GLASGOW AIR
FORCE BASE ON KING 5.COM.
NOW WE TAKE YOU ABOARD THIS JET
WHERE IT IS FIXING AN AGE OLD
PROBLEM, BEING ABLE TO WARN
PASSENGERS AND CREW TO BRACE FOR
SEVERE, UNEXPECTED TURBULENCE.
>> SO, GLENN, PASSENGER SAFETY
IS A BIG PART OF THIS.
BUT YOU ARE SAY ISSING AIRLINES
ARE LOOKING INTO THIS.
WHY?
WHY?
WHY? >>
WHY? >> I
WHY? >> I WAS TALKING TO THE HEAD,
THE CHAIRMAN OF FEDEX EXPRESS,
WHICH IS THE AIRLINE, ONE OF THE
LARGEST AIRLINES IN THE COUNTRY.
MOST PEOPLE DON'T THINK OF THAT.
THEY GET A BOX AND PICK IT UP,
THEY DON'T THINK THERE IS AN
AIRLINE THAT CONNECTS IT ALL.
WE WANT THIS TECHNOLOGY TO WORK
BECAUSE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS,
YOU GOT TO FIX THE DAMAGE,
THAT'S COST.
THAT'S COST. AND TAKE THE AIRPORT OUT OF
SERVICE FOR DAYS, OR LONGER
DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY, SO
THAT COSTS MUN.
A LOT -- MONEY.
A LOT IS ECONOMIC.
>> SO THIS ISN'T THE ONLY
AIRPORT RELATED STORY YOU ARE
DOING THIS WEEK.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. FOR A BIG CONCERN WE FIXED A LOT
OF ISSUES IN THE AIR.
NOT ALL OF THEM.
WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO MORE OF
THAT TOMORROW NIGHT.
A DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY EVERY
NIGHT WE ARE LOOKING AT HERE.
BUT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT
VIRTUAL VISION AND 3-D RUN WAY,
IT'S CALLED SMART VIEW AND 3-D
RUNWAY TO MAKE IT SMARTER ON THE
TAXI WAYS