TMCnet News
Aviators hail FAA reversal on system: NAVIGATION: Agency had stopped use of GPS-based technology.(Anchorage Daily News (Alaska) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jun. 3--The Federal Aviation Administration is reinstating a cutting-edge technology that helps pilots of small planes navigate in remote areas of Alaska often plagued with treacherous weather. The decision takes effect June 15, FAA officials said Friday. The FAA unexpectedly pulled the plug on the so-called ADS-B system in March, causing an uproar by the Alaska Airmen's Association and others in aviation circles. In a May 8 letter to the Alaska Aviation Coordination Council explaining the decision, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey cited safety concerns with how Anchorage air traffic controllers were using the system to separate aircraft using ADS-B from planes reliant on radar. "This action was taken as a result of a confirmed report that an improper separation standard was being applied," Blakey wrote. On Friday, FAA spokeswoman Joette Storm could not elaborate on what that meant. Neither could Sue Gardner, head of the FAA office in Anchorage that oversees the program. Both said only FAA experts in air traffic control could explain the technical jargon in layman's terms, but none were available on Friday. Felix Maguire, chair of the Alaska Airmen's Association, said he, too, was puzzled by the FAA action because the agency never clearly explained its rationale. "To us, it just seemed to be a drastic move on their part," Maguire said. ADS-B, which stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, is essentially a flight-tracking system that enables pilots to fly with limited or no radar and allows controllers to more effectively handle air traffic. Aircraft equipped with the device emit a signal that relies on satellite-based Global Positioning Systems. The signal contains a variety of data including location, weather conditions, plane identification and speed. The result is that pilots can "see" other aircraft, and controllers are better equipped to give instructions and flight information. ADS-B is emerging technology that represents the future of air traffic control, Maguire said. With its rugged terrain and notoriously bad weather, Alaska is one of the FAA's primary proving grounds for the system that it hopes to roll out nationwide in future decades. With the summer flying season already under way and no resolution to the ADS-B situation in sight, Alaska aviators grew frustrated and decided to vent their concerns publicly. Earlier this week, the Alaska Aviation Coordination Council -- a consortium of pilot associations and others interested in aviation -- scheduled a news conference for Friday afternoon. On Thursday, the FAA told Alaska aviators it was not only reinstating, but expanding, the ADS-B system in the state, Maguire said. For several years, the system has been used in the Bethel region and in Southeast. That will resume in mid-June. On Aug. 15, the FAA will expand it to the Dillingham and King Salmon areas, the agency said. Maguire, for one, is thrilled. "We applaud them for what they've done," he said. ADS-B aids search-and-rescue operations immensely, Maguire noted. As soon as a plane goes down, the signal relays the crash location to authorities. Many Alaskans have vanished in planes that simply disappear, Maguire said. He cited the Oct. 16, 1972, crash that took the lives of former House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, D-La., and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska. Their plane disappeared on a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. "They searched for them for months and never found them," Maguire said. "With (ADS-B) they could have known where they were within seconds." |