A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/706293
Closed Runway Occupancy Prevention Device (CROPD): Live t esting is scheduled initially at JFK fo r the month of August then RNO and MDW into next year. CROPD , if proven reliable , will be the first use of voice recognition to provide safety alerts. Each facility's test will run for a month after which all test equipment will be removed by the contracto r, data examined by MITRE, and next steps planned. I was present for the initial train - the - trainer training on July 12th. I will be returning when the system goes live. Airport Construction Advisory Council (ACAC): The ACAC continues to support constructi on activities throughout the NAS. NATCA representatives are reminded that Bridget Gee represents NATCA on the council and can assist with challenges associate d with airport construction. Due to recent events at uncontrolled airports, both non - towered and t owered, a communication gap in NOTAM distribution has been uncovered. A construction notice automation process is being worked. The funding portion has been approved. Our next step is to do a design review and the detailed requirements in which the ACAC an d myself will be involved with during the development. We are currently in the scheduling phase. The PMO office should be ready for further discussion t he week of August 8th. I expect the project sho uld be completed approximately seven months from now. Ro ot Cause Analysis Team (RCAT): Bridget Gee is now the RCAT Industry Co - Chair on the RCAT. The RCAT met on 6/2/16. We reviewed four Category "B" incursions , which included DTW, FLL, HNL, and LGA. My FAA counterpart and myself briefed the RCAT at the recent RSC meeting on July 13th. BNA CAR : I am currently working on a CAR for BNA due to the airport being expanded twice since the control tower opened in 1981. The expansions have resulted in multiple runway and exit areas having limited or completely obstruc ted views from the tower. The inability to observe aircraft exiting the runways, or holding in position makes it difficult for BNA controllers to effectively control traffic. Currently waiting on ERC review. Timely Airport Maintenance Notification CAR: Th is CAR was in briefed on June 21st. Research and outreach are currently being conducted. More information to follow. Runway Safety Call 2 Action Communication Initiative : Runway Safety Best Practices Workgroup – The workgroup met the week of June 20 - 24. The group identified and reviewed Runway Safety best practices and will make recommendations for formalization where appropriate. The group will collaborate with the Runway Safety group and the Runway Safety Council to formalize the "best practices." The w orkgroup will be identifying and recommending training and familiarization to ensure pilot/vehicle/air traffic controllers are fully informed about communication - related issues in Runway Safety. I sit as the co - lead for this workgroup, and our next meeting is proposed for September 2016 for further development. Runway Incursion Prevention Shortfall Analysis (RIPSA): RIPSA is funded by the Runway Safety group. This Runway Incursion Reduction Program (RIRP) is tasked to investigate, develop, test, evaluate, and deploy low cost runway incursion prevention technologies. This is the result of the NTSB recommendation to "require, at all airports with scheduled passenger service, a ground movement safety system that will prevent runway incursions; the system shoul d provide a direct warnin g capability to flight crews." Currently, research is being conducted for 15