VP Gore's Flight Safety Goal Becomes Reality; Emerging Technology Will Improve Air Travel Safety For Millions

        SALEM, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 1998--Vice President Al Gore's goal to reduce fatal airplane crashes by 80 percent within the next 10 years may become a reality sooner than expected with major advancements in aviation technology.
    In step with Vice President Gore's new initiative "Safer Skies - A Focused Agenda" announced last week, break-through technology that will help make air travel safer is already well underway. Spearheaded by the Cargo Airlines Association, new Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) technology will address the very complex problem of how to keep up with increases in air traffic while improving safety, efficiency and economy.
    IIMorrow Inc., a subsidiary company of United Parcel Service that develops aviation technology, is leading the ADS-B charge for the Cargo Airlines Association. Unlike current radar and transponder-based traffic control systems, the ADS-B technology being developed by IIMorrow will bring an all-in-one, affordable solution for traffic, weather/terrain and navigation flight information into the cockpit. Pilots can have information now available only to air traffic control -- affordably, automatically and reliably.
    With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicting up to a 75 percent increase in air traffic over the next 15 years, ADS-B technology will allow for increased safety and higher traffic density.
    ADS-B uses precise satellite-based positioning coupled with broadcast datalink capabilities. This technology will greatly enhance safety by giving pilots real-time awareness of surrounding traffic, from the ground up. The increased range and accuracy over present systems means more planes can safely land and take off in a given period of time. The Cargo Airlines Association is planning to begin flight tests of ADS-B in Fall 1998.
    Per Vice President Gore's initiative, warning and detection systems are vital in helping reduce aircraft accidents. However, the expense and complexity of these systems makes them inaccessible for all but large commercial airlines. ADS-B will be affordable for the private and commercial aircraft.
    "In terms of safety, one of the biggest advantages of ADS-B is scale-ability," said Larry Speelman, vice president of business development for IIMorrow. "Advanced cockpit situation display technology will be affordable for all aircraft. This is a major step in improving safety for the entire industry."
    Headquartered in Salem, Ore., IIMorrow has helped create, design and implement innovative technology for the aviation industry since 1982.