NATCA Bookshelf

MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2015 NATCA DAILY DISPATCH 9 Wake Recategorizaton (RECAT), with Automated Terminal Proximity Alert (ATPA), are two of the more remarkable and successful components of NATCA's collaborative NextGen work with the FAA and the commercial and cargo airlines. In Memphis and at the other airports where RECAT has been implemented, RECAT has increased efficiency (arrival/departure rate at Memphis rose from 77 to 99 an hour) while maintaining the same high standard of safety the users of the NAS enjoy today. RECAT has made applying wake turbulence separations between aircraft easier for controllers. The wake category is placed in the data block that radar controllers see and the flight strips that tower controllers read. This removes a time-consuming step in determining the wake separation between the many different types of aircraft. This is important because during heavy traffic, every second is critical. In addition to Memphis, the NATCA-FAA-users team has implemented RECAT in Atlanta, Louisville, Cincinnati, and both Houston Intercontinental and Houston Hobby. Soon, the team will add New York-Kennedy, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, and Teterboro. In Atlanta, the benefits are also clear: Delta reports two minutes of taxi time reduction per aircraft, and credits RECAT in providing them with a higher degree of predictability, which allows for more accurate scheduling. The Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program continues to move forward on several fronts. The effort to baseline Automated Electronic Flight Strips (AEFS) is scheduled to continue this month with developmental testing at Cleveland (CLE). Progress towards formal training documentation and material creation continued in February to obtain the necessary documentation needed to generate formal training for AEFS. Once these materials are created, they will be rolled back into CLE and Phoenix. CLE continued to operate its AEFS last month with contract support on the Tech Ops side. Once formal training is created and vetted for Tech Ops, the local techs at CLE will begin providing support for AEFS. A planned demonstration test is also scheduled at CLE. Meanwhile, a demonstration of the new Electronic Flight Strip Transfer System (EFSTS) touch keypad was performed at the FAA's Atlantic City Tech Center in February. The demonstration showed both functionality as well as brightness settings for day and night in an actual environment. The test was performed in the mock tower at the Tech Center. Moving forward, a list of needed functions will be pulled from facilities to ensure all correct requirements are captured to move forward with implementation. The FAA Reauthorization bill of 2012 mandated that the FAA integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the NAS. The FAA has been working on integration for several years and has a UAS integration office set up specifically for this purpose. NATCA has had a full time Article 48 rep for UAS, Steve Weidner, since November 2014. Prior to that, the NATCA Safety and Technology Department was working all issues associated with UAS. Weidner participates in all aspects of UAS integration, from the development of future technologies and requirements to working with individual facilities on their specific UAS operations. He will be working with the UAS office on the development and implementation of UAS training for controllers. Full UAS integration into the NAS continues to be a challenge for several reasons, not the least of which is the variety of size and capabilities that exists in UAS airframes. Unlike manned aircraft, UAS thus far have been unable to comply with the "see and avoid" requirement for aircraft operating in the NAS. Several efforts are underway to develop "detect and avoid" systems that will allow UAS to comply with the "see and avoid" requirement. NATCA is participating in these efforts through RTCA. Remote tower operations have moved forward worldwide, but the technology is still in the first steps here in the U.S. Sweden has certified a system, which is scheduled to begin testing this summer at Leesburg (JYO), Va. Many small communities look at this initiative as a viable option since they are not able to afford a brick and mortar control tower. An agreement between SAAB and VSATS (Virginia Small Aircraft Transportation System) is the first step to moving the high definition video to any location and lowering the initial costs. The JYO remote tower system will have a camera tower atop the terminal building, 54 feet above ground level. The video will be sent to the remote tower center (located in a conference room) and displayed on 14 55-inch monitors. These monitors provide 360 degrees of coverage but are condensed into approximately a 220-degree view. The camera unit is approximately eight inches wide with windows in front of the cameras. High-pressure air is constantly blown on the front of these windows to prevent foreign objects such as snow and rain from affecting the view of the controller. While the air traffic control systems of Sweden and the U.S. are vastly different, NATCA looks forward to the opportunity to engage on this initiative. The Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement (TAMR) program launched into a busy 2015 by cutting over to Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) at two facilities. Northern California TRACON reached initial operating capacity (IOC) on Jan. 27, followed by Fort Myers on Feb. 6. As this issue went to press, Midland was expected to reach IOC on Feb. 27. TAMR is on track to hit several more milestones in 2015: • TAMR teams either have or will survey 98 facilities • STARS automation equipment will be delivered to 22 facilities • 20 facilities will cutover to STARS • Louisville, Minneapolis TRACON, Atlanta TRACON, Harrisburg, Pa., and Southern California TRACON are just some of the facilities that will cut over to STARS this year. These milestones follow a series of deployments of the NextGen foundational program last year in Billings, Mont., Austin, Texas, Denver, and Allentown, Pa. NATCA National TAMR Representative Mitch Herrick said NATCA's involvement in all phases of the TAMR program is a "major reason why the FAA is poised to accomplish something it has been unsuccessful at for nearly 40 years – having all terminal facilities utilizing the same automation system." NATCA invites its members, particularly those at terminal facilities, to visit the Raytheon booth in the exhibit hall, test out a STARS workstation, and learn when STARS is coming to a facility near you. Raytheon, which greatly values the direct feedback from users of its systems, is also requesting volunteers to record a brief video at the exhibit about what they like best about STARS and what the user experience has been like. RECAT UAS TFDM TAMR REMOTE TOWERS

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