A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/961329
point that IM will place more aircraft in a more efficient and confined space resulting in less room for error. Monitoring speeds will need to be more exact and instant to ensure separation is maintained. AIRS ConOps review started. D iscussed keeping phraseology as standard as possible as all IM Programs evolve including AIRS. Currently exploring a "maintain present spacing" option for controllers and whether this option is feasible/needed in AIRS. ASDE - X Tech Refresh: If the Taxiway alert enhancement is deployed on a national scale, the PMO would need to take control. As of right now, SEA is the only facility scheduled to receive this enhancement. Discussions continue regarding parts obsolescence and what the best path is moving for ward in addition to increasing bandwidth capacity as traffic levels increase in the NAS. ASDE3 radar discussions continue as the agency struggles to decide if they should go the tech refresh route, or full replacement route. No decisions have been made at this time. The agency is starting to align ASDE - X with ASSC on the software systems sid e. Although controllers will not yet have all the same functionalities on both systems, it will allow for improved system performance and fine tuning capability which controllers will benefit from. The goal in time is for both systems to be equal on the so ftware and controller capability aspects. ASSC : Due to issues with the agencies internet security department, CVG IOC was pushed to April 5. Field fam at CVG has continued with very positive input from the facility. MCI will be the next site on the ASSC waterfall. Coordination is underway with the facility. PIT outreach meetings scheduled for the week of Ap ril 9 . PDX outreach meetings sche duled for the week of April 23 . The Agency's Internet security department has created significant issues for the ASSC program. Due to their inconsistency and lack of understanding, ASSC waterfall IOC dates for upcoming sites are at risk and could likely move to the right. FMA in Fusion: The SRMD allowing the combined use of FMA and Fusion reached final approval o n November 1, and the Notice allowing the operational start is now in place. Facilities that use FMA can now use Fusion on these positions as well. The change in procedure is not anticipated to require additional controller training as these facilities a re already trained on both FMA and Fusion. Fusion on the FMA position, like all other positions, requires a thorough understanding of contingency plans should a radar sensor fail.