A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/832092
The DataComm program will be running some En Route testing a t ZKC again this year. This will occur on the m ids with controllers talking to t ech p ilots while a ground system sends route and other messages to the aircraft. Message content and interoperability is verified via voice and then the aircraft will go back o n course to their destination. This will be a monthly activity that continues up until deployment. Finally , the DataComm program hosted the DCIT at Harris Corporation in D . C. This three - day event focuse d on how the tower service is performing, enhancemen ts that are requested , and also worked on getting ready for En Route Initial Services. INTEGRATED DISPL AY SYSTEM REPLACEMENT (IDS - R) Richie Smith (N90) leads NATCA's efforts on the IDS - R project as the Article 114 Representative. Below is Mr. Smith's repo rt. The IDSR (NIDS) Program continues to hover at the approaching end of its waterfall. The program office had a goal to complete all ORDs before May 31, 2017. This goal will not be reached. The re are a few valid reasons for the four remaining networks (P 80, CMH, PHL , and I90) not wanting to declare ORD. These reasons range from poorly configured RVR alerts to missing activity logs (for tech ops). NATCA is supporting the decisions of the individual networks as to whether or not the want to go ORD. The prog ram office knows how to fix certain issues but others are at this point unable to be defined. Wh at they (the PO) often overlook is that a facility wants to be comfortable with and have confidence in their NIDS system PRIOR to declaring ORD as opposed to be ing promised a fix or software adaptation some time in the future. The contract with the vendor is expiring shortly and a maintenance contract is "in the works." The problem, to an outsider, is that the maintenance contract has been " being worked on " for close to a year and it doesn ' t seem to be anything definitive coming soon. This opens the possibility of having the vendor ' s contract extended (again). The NIDS lab in Atlantic City has been very busy testing various things including router issues that have plagued and continue to plague I90. It has been found that moving the NIDS router connector from an expansion port to directly onto the router board will/can help, and maybe fix, a big issue that I90 is dealing with. The port was scheduled to be switc hed out during the week of May 22 but it seems that the correct coordination and forms were not completed. No new software builds or operating system testing can be scheduled at this time because there is no maintenance contract and the budget is, as alw ays, in question. NAS VOICE SWITCH (NVS) Jon Shedden (ZFW) represents the NATCA membership as their Article 114 Representative to the NVS project. His report is below. NAS Voice System (NVS) Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) Dry Run began the second week in April. Mr. Shedden traveled to Melbourne, F la. to participate in testing the 255 - position voice switch. There have been many new defects discovered during this dry run, and Harris continues to resolve them. Mr. Shedden is scheduled back in Melbourne the weeks of June 5th and 19th.