Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), a U.S.-based maker of TCAS and ADS-B avionics, has started equipping dozens of airliners in support of a European-sponsored technology demonstration program aimed at saving fuel on transatlantic flights.
Part of Eurocontrol’s Cascade initiative, ACSS is installing automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast avionics aboard airliners for flight trials planned to start early next year. Three airlines have been picked for the program, the first publicly announced carrier being US Airways, which is equipping 20 Airbus A330s with ACSS ADS-B hardware that features special software allowing pilots flying over the North Atlantic to see other traffic on displays in the cockpit. The idea is to give flight crews a clear view of nearby traffic that in turn will allow them to reach the most fuel-efficient flight levels as quickly as possible.
