U.S. Safety Leaders Agree on Short-Term Runway Incursion Plan

At a meeting called by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey earlier this month, more than 40 aviation leaders from airlines, airports, air traffic control and pilot unions, aerospace manufacturers, and the agency, agreed to quickly implement a five point short-term plan to reduce runway incursions at some of America's busiest airports.

Ms. Blakey asked the meeting participants to consider runway incursion solutions in four areas: cockpit procedures, airport signage and markings, air traffic procedures, and technology.

The participants agreed that within 60 days:

• Teams of FAA, airport operators, and airlines will begin safety reviews at the airports where wrong runway departures and runway incursions are the greatest concern.  The FAA is compiling the list of 20 to 30 airports based on a variety of safety risk factors, including the record of past incursions.

• Information and training materials will be disseminated across the entire aviation industry.

• The deployment of improved airport signage and markings at the top 75 airports will be accelerated well ahead of a previously mandated June 2008 deadline.

• ATC clearance procedures between controllers and pilots will be reviewed, which could lead to minimizing pilot activities while an aircraft is taxiing and making ATC instructions more precise.

The group also agreed to implement a voluntary self-reporting system for all air traffic organization safety personnel, such as air traffic controllers and technicians.

Mid- and to long-term goal areas are being pursued to address maximizing situational awareness, minimizing pilot distractions, and eliminating runway incursions using procedures and technology.

Accelerate Technology Initiatives

In addition to its short-term action plan, the FAA also wants to accelerate the deployment of ASDE-X (airport surface detection equipment, model X), the evaluation of ASDE-X's LCSS (low-cost surface surveillance) alternative, and the installation of RWSL (runway status lights) at more U.S. airports.

FAA Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell told the meeting that the agency is considering the possibility of moving up the deployment of ASDE-X at other airports in a way similar to what was done at Chicago O'Hare, which was originally scheduled to get ASDE-X in August 2009, but moved up to this month.  The Sensis Corporation-developed technology could be commissioned at 11 airports by the end of the year.

The agency is beginning an evaluation of two candidate LCSS systems at Spokane, Washington, before deciding whether to use them at airports that aren't currently destined to get ASDE-X.

One of the candidate technologies, the CAMS (critical area management system), from Transtech Airport Solutions, uses an array of MWS (millimeter wave sensors) to detect aircraft and vehicle movement.  No aircraft-installed equipment is involved in its operation.  The Park Systems' NOVA 9000 ATCS (air traffic control system) - the other LCSS contender - is an A-SMGCS (advanced-surface movement guidance and control system) that uses Terma X-Band radar to support cooperative sensors such as Mode-S multilateration and ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast). Besides its position monitoring capability, the NOVA 9000 also has a conflict alert feature.

According to Mr. Sturgell, LCSS can cost less than $1 million compared to as much as $10 million for a full ASDE-X installation at a major airport.

The RWSL system signals when it is safe to cross or enter a runway. The system has been trialed at San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth, and recently was recommended to be installed at 19 NAS locations. A final investment decision will made by the FAA's Joint Resources Council.  08-28-2007.

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