A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/1189372
B in the NAS. This will also greatly help the facility when they lose the Grand Turk radar. ZSU is also going to play an integral part in the success of this program. • An SRMP was successful at ZSU on Oct. 31 to solidify a new LOA between ZMA and ZSU to support the upcoming SBA efforts for the Caribbean. • SBA IOC for the Caribbean is on schedule for March 2020. • Discussions are ongoing with the Agency about integrating SBA into ATOP. The SBA and ATOP teams are collaborating on these efforts. ASSC - • PDX Field Familiarization is underway and proceeding smoothly. The controllers are fully engaged, and the system continues to be optimized to fit their needs. PDX IOC was scheduled for Nov. 21. • ANC CADRE training was scheduled for the week of Nov. 11. • ANC and ADW will be the last two facilities to receive ASSC. • There are discussions within the Agency on deploying surface surveillance to facilities that currently have nothing. AJI and AJT have voiced a need moving forward. As this conversation continues, NATCA will remain actively involved. • Now that our terrestrial ADS-B infrastructure is deployed and the 2020 mandate is approaching, there are ongoing discussions about the desire to stop supporting MLAT on the surface. ADS-B radios input to ASDE-X and ASSC offer the same data and accuracy to the surface surveillance systems. There would be no impact or loss of accuracy to the systems. • A safety panel is scheduled for the beginning of December to address an ASSC system for ADW that does not include MLAT. MEARTS Fusion - All MEARTS facilities continue to operate in FUSION mode with no reported issues. Interval Management - • ECAVS (Enhanced CDTI Assisted Visual Separation) went through a name change at the last working group meeting. The application will now be called CAS (CDTI Assisted Separation). The change stemmed from reluctance by some in the group to have "Visual Separation" tied to the name. • The final STC ground and flight testing for the AIRS ADS-B In program was performed successfully in October. No blocking issues were identified during any of the test efforts. STC approval is currently targeted for Nov. 27, with the first aircraft activation scheduled for the end of January. • AIRS Working Group is exploring alternatives to the 30-degree intercept to the final safety requirement in FAAO 7110.65 7-4-4 par3, to maximize the efficiency of CAS into PHX. Specifically, the group is looking for a way around this rule using the AIRS/CAS equipment while still maintaining the safe intent of the rule. Terminal Fusion - • The Fusion Focus Group continues to track and resolve facility-reported issues with Fusion. These are largely issues with the underlying surveillance infrastructure and experts from all fields are available to assist. Please report any issues to your OSF and our NATCA SBS group for assistance. It is critical that actual data is recorded for evaluation and resolution. • Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is back up on Fusion. The SBS team would like to thank RDU for their patience and flexibility in addressing the Fusion issues.