Background

The project responds to the challenge of ensuring that, irrespective of the growth of air traffic, air transportation will be safer. HASTAC contributes to one of the major challenges identified in the Strategic Research Agenda for European aeronautics.

HASTAC will contribute to improved safety in different flight situations

• On board technologies for prevention of controlled flight into terrain
• On board technologies for in-flight and on-ground collision avoidance novel concepts
• Techniques enabling the development of improved aviation safety metrics

Project Objectives

The main project strategic objective is to increase the safety in all in-flight situations, particularly low visibility situations, by improving the transducers used in Air Data Computers (ADC) for aircraft applications. The results are relevant in auto pilot situations in the reduced vertical separation minima legislation of 1000ft, as well as in demanding manual flying situations in darkness and low visibility. Used in transponder applications, the project will give significantly increased reliability in altitude information for manual and automated Air Traffic Control systems. Aircraft Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems will also benefit from more accurate and reliable altitude information, which will allow the automated avoidance instructions to be more accurate and effective.

Expected results

The project will develop a new generation of Air Data Computers (ADC), suitable for fixed wing and rotary wing applications, which will give altitude accuracy capabilities significantly improved over those available today. Aircraft flight testing performed in the project will demonstrate the effectiveness of the performance improvement. A new generation of transducers with a new microsensor (absolute pressure sensing element) as the key component, will also be available for other application areas, such as transponders.

For further information, please contact:

SINTEF ICT (NO, coordinator): Dag Ausen or Geir Uri Jensen

Memscap AS (NO): Ole Henrik Gusland (technical coordinator)