A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/626428
o In order to remedy the situation, a new safety study must be conducted that proves that Fusion is safe for use in FMA. The Agency has agreed to move forward but there's been a lack of tangible progress to date. o NA TCA National, NATCA A80, and NATCA C90 reps met to discuss the l ack of progress on December 16. Jeff Woods (NATCA PMO) plans to schedule a meeting with Flight Standards on the issue in January. • Intent Data: o NATCA has restar ted discussions on intent data. Available via Mode S and ADS - B, pilot entered avionics entries for assigned altitude are broadcast b ut go unused today in the U.S. However, other countries do use the data and it has led to a significant reduction in altitude deviations. This continues to be a Top 5 safety issue in the NAS. ADS - B avionics used in the U.S. are built to an international standard, meaning t he data is there but discarded. Unlike Mode S changes that would require infrastructure changes, using the data from ADS - B would likel y only require software changes. SBS Article 48 is discussing the topic and options for future use. • SoCal TRACON Fusion: o Multiple parties including NATCA SBS, NATCA TAMR, NATCA OSF, and NATCA Surveillance representatives attended a meeting at SCT January 5 - 7 to discuss ongoing issues. It is very apparent that the radar surveillance environment in SCT is on e of the worst in the coun try. Many dedicated professionals have worked to resolve software issues and optimize rad ars over the last 18 - 24 months. How ever, the fact is that multiple radar sites are in less than ideal locations: behind buildings, be hind trees, and in low terrain. As seen in other locations throughout the NAS, no amount of radar optimization can overcome these environmental variables. T racker issues have continued despite multiple adaptation and software changes. o Fusion does not create data, but uses the surveillance data each source provides t o extrapolate position reports. Bad data provided will result in a bad position report, garb age in = garbage out. A long - term solution should have been pursued years ago, but CARTS software successfully hid the infrastructure pro blems by masking the problems. STARS does not mask these issues but deals with the problems in a more holistic manner . The Agency needs to weigh the cost/benefit of long - term solutions that could include radar relocation, raising radars, or introducing a lower cost solution such as WAM. o In the midst of Fusion issues at SCT, the facility also experienced an issue with an aircraft with non - compliant ADS - B avionics. The resulting tracker issues (due to gar bage in) were very bad in deed. STARS software changes are needed to better filter this type of avionics failure. NATCA SBS has also initiated a discussion with the prog ram office to better identify non - compliant aircraft that have operational implications. Today, a mountain of non - compliant data is sent to Flight Standards for resolution, but there does not seem to be any correlation with operations. • Vehicle ADS - B: o Ther e were some issues with the LAX map originally drawn due to the Spectrum office's decision to research the facilities LOA's. After some conversations with LAX Fac R ep Mike Foote and telcons with all pertinent parties, they were able to agree on the new map, which is now on AJT - 2's