Business Travel Tips

Aviation safety experts say that on-the-ground collisions — airplane collisions that occur while the planes are still on the ground, is the greatest airline hazard in the United States and Europe. Because of that, companies are developing a lot of safety technologies to prevent planes from colliding on the ground.

A safety tool developed by Honeywell International, called Runway Awareness and Advisory System, will be installed on Alaska Airlines‘ entire fleet by the end of this month.

The system allows pilots to pinpoint exactly where they are making sure they get on the correct runway at the assigned point to take off. That is a significant help to avoid incidents during stormy weather and poor visibility.

The tool also warns pilots if they don’t have enough acceleration room for a safe takeoff.

The Wall Street Journal reports that running off the ends of runways — the so-called excursions, accounts for roughly a third of all major commercial airline crashes world-wide.
According to The Journal’s report, Airbus and Honeywell are working separately to create next-generation cockpit safeguards that will help pilots maintain stable descents just before touchdown, monitor their speed and trajectory, and even warn pilots to deploy the flaps, part of the wing that helps slow a plane when landing.
Airbus has been perfecting an automated braking technique to alert pilots with the goal to highlight dangers they might not have realized before deciding to touch down.