A Boeing 767-300 will employ fuel-saving measures and GPS navigation on a trans-Atlantic flight.
American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami on Thursday will be the first trans-Atlantic flight to test several fuel-economy measures and GPS navigation.
Strategies to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions, which American and other airlines have been testing individually for awhile now, include one-engine taxi and gradual (as opposed to incremental) take-off and landing.
The Boeing 767-300 will also use GPS technology for a more direct route than typical jetliner highways, again saving fuel and reducing emissions.
And with the Flight 447 tragedy fresh in our minds, it’s important to note that GPS will eventually be able to track planes’ locations far beyond the accuracy of radar.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Photo: Fotos de aviones – Aviocion.Tv
Good for them! I hope the governments are getting involved and rewarding these companies for causing less pollution and using advanced technologies to do so. Everything little bit helps!
I really doubt that we are going to see too many GPS direct (shortcut) flights take place anytime soon. The technology is fine and pretty much 100% reliable but they would have to change the ATC systems and regular AirNav rules all around to make it work. They would have to have more automated TCAS systems and ATC would need more automated systems as well for this to take place. I am just being a realist about it, it sounds good but it is complicated when it comes to safety.