From concept to reality

The cover article for this issue of ON AIR! provides a welcome example of some of the cutting edge operational R&D work that Helios undertakes and illustrates our ability to take projects from concept to reality. Not all framework projects are exploited in the market, and it is great to see that there is already enthusiasm for this one amongst helicopter operators. Satellite guided precision approaches are now possible using the EGNOS safety-of-life service, and the rotorcraft market should be a significant beneficiary. Our project involved working alongside pilots servicing the North Sea oil industry, and has enabled tangible safety benefits that will be welcomed by everyone working in that challenging environment. The potential beneficiaries are wider still, including for example air ambulances. A challenging environment is a running theme through several other articles. The harsh landscape of Namibia was a key factor in the decision-making required for our safety assessment work for a new ATC surveillance system there (page 3). The tough economic environment was also background to our work in Bangladesh helping them prepare for their first ever spectrum auctions (page 4). And on page 2, Alan Corner, who recently joined Helios, explains why civil/military cooperation is important to the efficiency of air traffic management and addresses some of the common challenges it faces. Have a great summer!
Mike Shorthose, Chairman

CONTEN T S
MAIN STORY

Offshore helicopter trials

CIVIL-MILITARY COOPERATION

A key efficiency enabler

ATM SAFETY IN NAMIBIA

New surveillance for entire country Bangladesh plans for growth

HOT AIR!

HOW MUCH FOR SPECTRUM?

News & events

OFF AIR!

Puzzle competition

S U M M E R 2 0 11

Improving safety for offshore helicopters

Bond Offshore Helicopters

Helios trials enhance helideck approaches

n the weekend of 29/30 January, a Eurocopter Super Puma helicopter undertook a series of

Avionics Package (REAP) to provide the guidance for the flight crews to follow during the approaches. A number of pilots had the opportunity to fly the approaches and all were in agreement. They appreciated the high precision and comfortable approach delivering significant benefits compared with legacy flight procedures. Helios REAP equipment has been developed as a flexible, portable avionics platform to allow rapid prototyping of future navigation concepts. It processes GNSS navigation data from the European EGNOS satellite navigation system, recently approved for civil aviation navigation applications. When combined with data from the aircrafts own sensors, REAP outputs guidance to a fully functional Primary Flight Display (PFD)

satellite guided instrument approaches to the Beatrice Oil Platform in the Moray Firth near Inverness, Scotland. The flights represented the culmination of nearly five years work during which Helios has been instrumental in the concept definition, safety assessment, simulation and now flight test of the SBAS Offshore Approach Procedure (SOAP). This GNSS-based instrument approach procedure delivers a step change in safety for helicopters operating to offshore helidecks. On board the aircraft were a team of Helios engineers tasked with overseeing the flights and making sure that the guidance provided to the aircraft was high quality. Helios supplied its own Rotorcraft Experimental

News and Information from Helios

News and Info rmation from Helios

and Navigation Display installed in front of the handling pilot. The REAP display includes a customisable PFD that provides a raw guidance mode, a flight director guidance mode and even
On the left, pilots display a state-of-the-art tunnels in the sky mode. of the Helios REAP Andrew Burrage Andrew joined Helios in 2006 as a specialist in software development. In addition to developing Helios Rotorcraft Experimental Avionics Package, Andrew has worked on a broad range of projects from EUROCONTROLs Coverage Analysis Planning Tool (a WAM and ADS-B radar planning tool), through to modelling and forecasting the European space sector for ESA. Andrew plays an important role in Helios developing and applying the software tools that facilitate our work.
For more information about the project contact steve.leighton@askhelios. com, or about the software contact andrew.burrage@askhelios.com (profile below). You can also visit www.askhelios.com/conference-papers to view recent HEDGE presentations.

The project is concerned with improving the safety of

flight operations in the challenging offshore environment. It has been co-funded by the European GNSS Agency under a 7th Framework Programme project led by Helios called HEDGE Helicopters Deploy GNSS in Europe.

Civil-military cooperation
A key efficiency enabler
Temporary or permanently segregated airspace, including Temporary Segregated Areas (TSAs), Temporary Reserved Areas (TRAs) and Danger Areas

Temporary Segregated Airspace into cross-border areas, providing benefits to both commercial and military airspace users. Indeed, as commercial traffic increases and the military demands for airspace change, this might be the only means in the future of providing sufficient volumes of airspace for military training. Technical cooperation is another key enabler to delivering operational benefits. This can include equipping civil and military aircraft with common or compatible systems or, more strategically, developing a shared CNS and ATM infrastructure. Within Europe, Helios has supported EUROCONTROL by developing a roadmap for military avionics. This work identified that military systems meet or even exceed the equivalent commercial standard, but this

here is still a commonly held view that there are two types of airspace civil and military. Of course, this is

often cannot be demonstrated because of a different design and certification process. Resolving these issues will avoid some costs and overcome potential problems of equipping military aircraft with additional equipment. The demands on airspace and the way it is managed will continue to evolve. However, the need to accommodate the sometimes conflicting requirements of civil and military airspace users will remain a constant. The benefits achieved through more effective civil-military cooperation at all levels should not be under-estimated. If developed correctly, it will continue to improve efficiency especially in a future, less fragmented and trajectory-based ATM environment.
For more information, contact alan.corner@askhelios.com.

not true as airspace is a single entity shared by many different users. However, with nearly 30% of European airspace still restricted (see map), overcoming this mindset and developing improved civil-military cooperation can contribute to improving efficiency, minimising cost and reducing the environmental impact of aviation. At the strategic level, cooperation is often influenced by politics and concerns about national security. History still defines how many States manage cooperation, which can range from the joint and integrated model enjoyed in the UK, to one in which the military is the dominant partner and controls access to the airspace. Assuming that an acceptable state level agreement can be reached, operational benefits can begin with the introduction of flexible airspace management agreements. However, even within Europe, where the flexible use of airspace is well developed, further efficiencies can be gained particularly through regional cooperation. For example, a number of Functional Airspace Blocks have already identified opportunities to consolidate or move

Alan Corner Alan joined Helios following a successful career in the Royal Air Force. An air traffic controller with extensive experience in both the civil and military environments, Alan has worked with NATS at both the strategic and operational level and has been responsible for managing a number of major ATM/CNS programmes. His international experience includes a period as an advisor to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in Afghanistan supporting the development of the civil aviation sector.

News and Information from Helios

ATM safety in Namibia

New surveillance for entire country

Identifying skill gaps Helios is conducting a training needs analysis and capacity building programme for the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) - the Maltese national regulator for the electronic communications and postal sectors. Building on Helios previous experience in the sector, the outcome of this study will help the MCA identify skills gaps and design suitable training programmes to fill those gaps. AMHS training for NAMA A Helios trainer will be travelling to Ghana at the end of June to deliver a 5-day course on AMHS and the ATN Directory to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and the Nigerian CAA. The Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) is the replacement for the legacy Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network, which handles ground-to-ground aeronautical communications throughout the world. For information on our training programme, contact helena.vernon@askhelios.com. GIS and mapping Helios is undertaking a study for the European GNSS Agency to refine and implement the go-to-market strategy for EGNOS in the GIS (Geographic Information System) and Mapping sector. Project Manager Mark Scott presented an overview of EGNOS and its application in this sector to the General Assembly of the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors (CLGE) in Opatija, Croatia. Says Mark: The presentation was well received and stimulated some excellent discussions regarding the potential for using EGNOS in the target sectors. Brilliant week of training an excellent blend of technology and policy So said one of the delegates on the March 'Understanding Modern Spectrum Management' course, which was another resounding success receiving 100% recommendation levels from attendees. The next course will take place on 18-23 September at Merton College in Oxford. To register contact richard.womersley@askhelios.com. London diary dates! Andrew Sage will be chairing a 1-day seminar on Modernised Satellite Navigation at the IET on 5 October. The packed programme provides a view from both government and industry, and addresses all of todays implementation of GNSS programmes & future challenges in GNSS. To register go to www.theiet.org/gnss. Also in London, the next 2011 European Navigation Conference will be hosted by the Royal Institute of Navigation from 29 November to 1 December at the spectacular new Grange Tower Bridge Hotel. Helios will be exhibiting at the event, so please reserve the date in your diary and visit www.enc2011.org. Spread the word! We are looking for 2/3 student interns to join Helios for up to two months starting anytime from the end of June 2011 onwards. We welcome applicants from a numerate discipline who are interested in spending a summer supporting projects and being supervised and mentored by senior consultants in the company. Opportunities will include market research, operational performance analysis, investigating new technologies and software development. If you know someone, encourage them to send a CV and brief cover note to opportunities@askhelios.com.

elios is supporting the Namibian Directorate of Civil Aviation (NDCA), working with the prime contractor

Austro Control GmbH, in assessing the safety of a new surveillance system for the Namibian Flight Information Region. The system is the first of its kind in the world for country-wide air traffic services use, based on Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and radar. The work builds on Helios experience in safety aspects of WAM systems, for EUROCONTROL, NATS UK, Austro

Control and ATNS South Africa. Namibia is moving from a procedural control environment to a full air traffic control surveillance service. Helios is working with long-term partners Austro Control in deriving safety requirements for the system and operations, and supporting NDCA in implementing the new systems and procedures. Of particular interest for this safety support is the distributed nature of the WAM system, with 37 receivers and 25 interrogators deployed across Namibian terrain. The local environment is also challenging in terms of weather, desert and animal damage. Together, these factors lead to issues with remote site access, communications, power and maintenance. The safety assessment must provide evidence that the deployed system will meet the controllers' need for accurate and reliable surveillance according to the ICAO Target Level of Safety standard. Although the work builds on ICAO and European best practice, Helios and Austro Controls experience with surveillance worldwide means a pragmatic approach has been used, identifying operational and technical mitigations which reflect the unique environment of Namibia. Helios Project Director Ben Stanley says: The distributed nature of WAM brings unique challenges to the safety case, including the need for excellent service agreements with local telecommunications providers. The focus of our work has not only been on the failure situations, but also in ensuring that the deployed surveillance system will perform adequately for separation services when working without failure.
For more information contact ben.stanley@askhelios.com.

News and Information from Helios

against those of similar countries. The team also conducted a spectrum usage audit to determine areas where spectrum usage may need to change in light of technological or market developments. The project resulted in revisions to the national frequency plan ready for the introduction of new services such as digital television and rural wireless broadband. It also prompted changes in policy towards new technologies
BBC World Service Trust, Colin Spurway

How much for spectrum?

T

as well as a revision of spectrum pricing. Richard Womersley commented: This project has laid solid foundations for the 3G spectrum auctions soon to take place in Bangladesh. Following a raft of similar auctions in other parts of the world we know that good preparation will be a key to success, and BTRC are well placed to unlock the value of the spectrum for the benefit of the citizens of Bangladesh.
For more information contact richard.womersley@askhelios.com.

Bangladesh plans for growth

he Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has a vision: to facilitate affordable telecommunication services of acceptable quality for all regardless of their location. To do this, it needs to ensure that the radio spectrum is efficiently managed and is available to those who need it, in a

Emergency logistical challenge

Bangladesh Fact File

Area: 147,570 km2 (roughly equivalent to the size of England and Wales) Population: 164 million Mobile penetration: 40% Internet penetration: 1.3%

timely and reasonable manner. As BTRC also seeks to encourage wider mobile and broadband penetration and take-up, spectrum for 2G, 3G and 4G services must also be in a fit state to be used. Helios recently completed a project for BTRC which reviewed their policies and practices in the fields of spectrum pricing and planning and conducted an audit of spectrum usage. This wide ranging work will help Bangladesh

A sailor 1000 miles from land has become sick and needs medicine immediately. Luckily a number of identical planes are available, but they are only capable of carrying enough fuel to go 1000 miles and the owner won't sacrifice a plane for the mission. Assuming the planes can refuel each other instantaneously in flight, how can the sailor be saved without sacrificing any planes? How many planes will it take? Please send your solutions to onair@askhelios.com. The answer will be published in the next edition of ON AIR!. All entries must be received by 31 August. The first correct answer drawn at random after this date will win a Helios Powermonkey portable charger. Good luck! And the winner is The correct answer to the train puzzle in the Spring 2011 issue was 201 metres. Andys speed relative to the second train is 75 miles per hour (45 + 36 - 6). Six seconds at this speed represents a distance of 0.125 miles or 201 metres (to the nearest metre). Congratulations to Gonzalo Martn-deMercado of the European Space Agency.
For more information visit our website www.askhelios.com or call us on +44 1252 451 651. Please send change-of-address notifications to info@askhelios.com or by post to Helios, 29 Hercules Way, Aerospace Boulevard, AeroPark, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6UU, UK. This newsletter has been written for the interest of our clients and colleagues. We believe the facts are correct at the time of printing, but cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.

encourage the continuing development of existing services, whilst at the same time permitting new services to be launched. Pricing policy needs to strike a balance between the need to recognise the value of the radio spectrum and the need to ensure competitive prices for end-users, so the project team benchmarked spectrum prices in Bangladesh
Helios is a management and technology consultancy supporting business, governments and other institutions. We help improve corporate performance through analysis of problems, assessment of solutions and delivery of results. Our team has expertise in these disciplines: performance improvement; regulation; business economics; safety and security; environment; technology and innovation; and planning and procurement. We also offer a range of relevant training courses, run by recognised industry experts.