RAAS, how many airlines are using it?
 

Just curious how many airlines have decided to have their aircraft fitted with RAAS from Honeywell.

How do you find it? Any problems?

PT6A

A lot, but Honeywell have rebranded it as Smart Runway and Smart Landing.

Sir George Cayley

FedEx for one, the world's largets airline. We have inhibit buttons installed and from time to time get erronious callouts. I was taught the system but it did not sink in how great it is until I was Taxi'ng an aircraft about a year ago and "approaching rwy 27". I think it is great situational awareness tool.

I've had it on a few flights and it was a pain in the bum at the time - that was a few years ago though, and hopefully it has been improved.

The automatic voice taxiing on the ground was so loud it would make it impossible to hear ATC transmissions, and there was a lot of "say again" requried.

The database was also rarely up to date with the global airport network, so if you diverted to certain airfields you would have to inhibit the EGPWS to shut it up (And yes, that was the approved method!). It would also warn you that you were approaching runways that had been decomissioned a few years prior. Definately a formal inhibit switch required for those issues. Being told you are entering a runway when you are not just leads to complacency.

The concept is a good one, however there were definately significant bugs that needed solving - and I'm not sure how you solve the one of having your line up and takeoff clearances blocked by "Approaching Rwy....". I hope they've fixed a lot of the bugs and that it becomes more common - but there are definately airport layouts that work well, and ones that it couldn't cope with.

BA started to fit to all new aircraft delivered 2010 onwards. I think they are still deciding whether to retrofit or not.

Only flown one of the new aircraft a few times, and found system pretty good. If, it prevented a mistake then I'm sure I'd be saying it is fantastic!

EK have it most aircraft. My observations are only newer delivered aicraft don't have it.
Very annoying on a land and roll-through for 180 and back-track. She doesn't shut up!

halas

Its in Ryanair manuals - or they at least allude to it - so guessing it will be coming on new aircraft. Nothing official yet though.

Interesting. Is that because it's fitted at base after delivery - or because installation has been stopped for newer aircraft?

In any case THIS gives a lot more than RAAS, such as immediate clear voice warnings of crossing a Red Stop Bar - and it doesn't cost the airlines a cent. And it's crew selectable, one pilot can listen out while the other does other things, the volume is adjustable, the airport handles the voice up-dating so it's always current on such as closed taxiways etc etc - it's far better than RAAS, or whatever it's called today. And, last but not least, you never have to disable EGPWS :hmm:

Terrain Inhibit
 

What a poor setup, we at least can inhibit RAAS alone. Raas is not a complicated or expensive install, other than the inhibit switch it is basically a EGPWS update that can be done without removing the box from the aircraft.