A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/740802
Activity at the NASA ATD - 2 l ab at Charlot te (CLT) has increased tremendously in recent weeks. NASA researchers are at the l ab on an almost continuous basis , monitoring live CLT airport traffic and creating algorithms that will help the program better predict future demand/capacity imbalances. Con trollers and TMCs are involved one week a month to ensure that NASA understands the traffic flows, and why we make the decisions we do. Last month, we had TMCs, controllers , and r amp tower personnel together in the lab. Each group explained traffic flow m ethods and constrain t s from their perspective. The NASA folks were thankful to have the different groups together explaining each side of the equation. They indicated that the insight they gained was of immense value for their understanding of the challeng es that occur on the surface of this or any airport. Research sessions are scheduled each month through next spring. Members from the various interest groups will participate both together and separately as needed. Come next spring, research will slow dow n as NASA needs to firm up the software and begin Human in the Loop (HITLs) studies of both ATC and Ramp personnel using the system. First with pseudo - traffic, and eventually with live traffic , as the equipment is installed in our respective work places. Also last month, the FAA/Industry Surface Collaborative Decision Making (SCDM) team held their quarterly meeting at CLT. While here, they were given a tour of the NASA ATD - 2 lab. Kyle Andrews (ORD) represents NATCA on this team. The exchange of information between those two groups appeared to go very well. Later this month representatives from the TMU Unit at ZDC will be visiting the NASA ATD - 2 lab to receive a briefing on how the technology will affect their interaction with flights between CLT and the No rtheast. I (as well as the other NATCA members who participate in this activity ) am keenly aware that our purpose in this activity is to look out for the needs and best interests of our fellow controllers. That understanding is at the forefront of every d ecision we make while we represent our profession during the development of this new and emerging technology. DATACOMM : Chad Geyer (ZLA) is the Article 48 Representative for DataComm. Below is his update. The Tower Data Link Services (TDLS) Version 12 ha s been deployed to 59 sites and only 14 remain. 48 of those sites are Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) capable and only seven remain. Across the country, approximately 1900 CPDLC clearances are being sent everyday with that number increasin g as more sites become operational and additional aircraft begin to participate. This week , the p rogram office ha d personnel at DFW and Midway conducting file and fly activities. File and Fly is the part of service activation where CPDLC is turned on at t he site and controllers send clearances directly to the flight deck. Each site is sending over 100 clearances a day. When the facility is conducting file and fly, controllers are required to receive a read back for every clearance sent. This process will c ontinue until the local 48 team decides that they are ready to accept the service. Some of the reasoning behind this is that the program office uses this approach to declare Ini tial Operating Capability (IOC) so that controllers can verify that the clearan ces that are being sent