A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/703686
processing that would trigger an alarm under these conditions. That software has been installed and is under live key s ite operational testing at N90. STARS S6 baseline Revision 4 software (R4) represents the first and biggest step in merging the three simultaneous STARS software baselines; Legacy, TAMR G4 (S6), and ELITE , into a single common product. R4 was scheduled for key site testing on ELITE and legacy baselines in June, but because of deficiencies in Air Traffic software training material, Houston, Miami , and Norfolk were not able to complete operational testing. Daytona (DAB) and Midland (MAF) are operational on the ne w software. A revised training package is being completed this week and should be available to the field within the next 10 days. The TAMR p rogram o ffice is working with Second Level Engineering to institute new soft ware build planning processes. Because o f the extremely rapid pace and huge volume of software change s driven by TAMR over the last five years, this has been done very much on an ad hoc and emergency only basis. The Software Build Planning team has agreed on a plan to skip field delive ry of R5 a nd roll the final software merge elements in to R6 for delivery in mid - 2017. NATCA has participated in the first two Software Build Planning meetings and will be a key stakeholder going forward in a more structured and purposeful way. The most current STARS software available, S6.R3c.D7a , has been key sited at PCT and is running at Chicago, Denver, Northern California , and Minneapolis. The updates in this build, which will include the MANCON fix and three other high priority fixes for N90, PCT and SCT, will all be merged into S6.R6. S6.R6 will combine the three software baselines into one and the agency will realize better e fficiency maintaining software. NATCA TAMR Deployment Report Scott Robillard (K90) The NATCA deployment team continues to work through s everal very difficult issues as we progress through three different types of deployments: • G1/G2 to STARS G4 for large TRACONs and t owers • G1/G2 to STARS G4 ELITE for midlevel TRACONs and t owers • ARTS IIE to STARS G4 ELITE for TRACONs and t owers Each transit ion has its own unique challenges and requires a robust team of SMEs to help the agency navigate the difficult waters of an extreme ly complicated and diverse NAS. Phoenix TRACON (P50): Site preparation an d equipment delivery has begun. In order to transiti on both systems (STARS G1 and STARS G4) n eed to be running in parallel. During site survey and evaluation personnel discovered a lack power panels to wire redundant systems and new pane ls would need to be installed. Issue: y ou need to turn the power off to install additional panels; this requires coordination between many entities. The TAMR NATCA t eam is working with ZAB, P50, PHX, Tech Ops, Engineering Services , and the Program Office to help devise a plan that mitigates risk, provides the required service s to the user , and protects the me mbers at all three facilities. This is not an easy task. Tallahassee (TLH): ARTS IIE to STARS G4 ELITE transitions always come with some comp lications. Tallahassee has a few more than others : fluctuating power from the pow er company, poor lightning protection, and an analog ASR8 that is being digitized by a TDX - 2000. These issues contr ibute to an uncertain IOC date. As of now, the IOC of July 12, 2016 is a GO. A true GO - NO - GO call will be made on July 11th after a monumenta l effort over the weekend to correct inefficiencie s with power and radar