Kevin O’HARA, Director of Project Engineering/Aircraft Acquisitions for UPS
Airlines, told FAST that the primary reason to upgrade the A300-600 cockpit
was the navigation database capacity in the flight management system.
The navigation data required to fly in current national air systems has grown
significantly over the last five years. UPS estimates that it will continue to grow
in the future at a rate of approximately 7% per year as the United States
manages increased air traffic and congestion in the national airspace and
terminal areas.
Navigational database growth can be attributed to the move from fixed
navigation aids such as a very high-frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range
(VOR) system to coordinates in space to support required navigational
performance (RNP).
The new technology will significantly reduce the requirement to upload new
navigation data from once per aircraft per day to the typical monthly update.
The time required for multiple data loads are a significant burden on the UPS
operation resulting in aircraft routing constraints, and the potential for
dispatch delays and interrupted service to our customers.
The associated benefits to UPS from the new suite of integrated cockpit
technology includes reduced maintenance cost, a substantial improvement
in systems/component reliability, and safety improvements. There is also
the ability to operate efficiently in both highly congested airspace as well
as smaller airports during poor weather operations.
This cockpit upgrade was required to enable UPS to operate the aircraft
efficiently into the future. The A300-600 was first introduced to UPS in 2000.
The average fleet age today is 16 years. The cockpit upgrade extends that life
expectancy by a further 20 years.
Continued use of our fleet would certainly not be realistic if the technology
didn’t support the demands of our business operation, government
regulations, part obsolescence, and the service levels required for
our customers.
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