faa

Boeing has won a $1.7 billion contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to create the Next-Generation Air Transportation System.

One of the goals of the system, also known as NextGen, will be to update the current air traffic control system from its traditional radar-based tracking to one that uses a GPS-based technology called ADS-B, the company said Thursday. Such a move is designed to deliver greater accuracy and safety in managing the growing traffic in the skies. To help develop the new system, Boeing said it will rely on air traffic management models and simulations.

In addition, Boeing will … Read more

In response to past cyberattacks against the Federal Aviation Administration, IBM is teaming up with the agency to try to create a security system to protect commercial and private aviation networks from future threats.

IBM announced on Tuesday that the new security system will move beyond the typical methods of encryption, firewalls, and antivirus software to guard against hackers, botnets, and malware. Instead, the new system for civil aviation will need to be more intelligent and analytical.

Through a series of sensors and monitors, the system will keep tabs on all network traffic and user activity in real time, said … Read more

The FAA has asked Boeing to prove that its new connected airplane isn't so connected it can connect hackers. We also discuss why folks think women aren't as good at math when all the women we know are great at math. And we hash over some Apple tablet rumors. I mean, how could we not? We also have special guest host Clayton Morris from Fox News, and Ryan Shrout from PC Perspective.

OnLive responds to bad press, more beta testers … Read more

If Boeing is going to keep on producing jumbo jets with state-of-the-art networking technology, it may have to get used to dealing with government demands that it ensure the planes are not hackable.

Earlier this month, as reported by AVWeb, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued "special conditions" regarding Boeing's forthcoming 747-8--the next-generation of its iconic 747 line of planes--aimed at making sure that the new plane's high-tech networking systems are hack-proof.

The 747-8, which should have its first flight any day now, is intended to be a much more efficient and powerful version … Read more

The rumors about the Apple Tablet are getting crazy and special guest Cali Lewis nails it when she calls it a unicorn. We also get the first look at the Google OS, and nobody is very excited about Microsoft Office 2010. Except the one person who never uses it: me. And we get some of the inside scoop behind the FAA outage.

Liveblog today: Google Chrome OS press conference http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10401095-2.html

Apple Tablet that has never been more … Read more

The Federal Aviation Administration says a glitch in its computer system that caused widespread flight cancellations and delays nationwide Thursday has been fixed.

The FAA confirmed to CBS News that its main flight processing system is now back up and running, CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes reports.

The problem was with the FAA's system that collects airlines' flight plans. It was the second time in 15 months that a glitch in the flight plan system caused delays.

The agency still requires some time to reboot its residual systems, but FAA officials told Cordes that flights should get back to … Read more

Hackers have broken into the air traffic control mission-support systems of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration several times in recent years, according to an Inspector General report sent to the FAA this week.

In February, hackers compromised an FAA public-facing computer and used it to gain access to personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers, on 48,000 current and former FAA employees, the report said.

Last year, hackers took control of FAA critical network servers and could have shut them down, which would have seriously disrupted the agency's mission-support network, the report said. Hackers took over … Read more

A server at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration was illegally accessed online and personal identity information of employees was stolen, the agency said.

Two of the nearly 50 files on the breached computer had personal data about more than 45,000 FAA employees and retirees who were on the FAA rolls as of three years ago, the FAA said in a statement released on Monday.

The server that was breached was not connected to the air traffic control system or other operational systems, according to the statement.

The agency is notifying all affected employees by mail and is investigating … Read more

Flying your Bell Ranger in a ball cap is something of a fashion statement. But it lacks that iconic, ant-head panache that until recently only military pilots wearing restricted, government-use-only night vision-equipped helmets could pull off.

The NVAG-6 Night Vision Goggles change all that. They're the first night vision goggle certified by the FAA for civilian use, according to manufacturer Nivisys. Of course, looks are not what will sell this gear. It's the safety margin they can potentially add to low-light and nighttime flying (PDF).

"This is a historical moment for civil aviator night vision safety. Nivisys … Read more