A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/961329
MEARTS Fusion: 3nm Fusion in MEARTS is a complex undertaking requiring multiple Tower, Approach, and Enroute sectors to come online with Fusion at the same time. The lessons learned in this undertaking will help the effort with future MEARTS and ERAM sites. ZAN has bee n on Fusion since August 2015. HCF has been on Fusion since Aug . 1, 2017. Congratulation to ZUA! The facility transitioned to Fusion on March 26, 2018. A Fusion kickoff meeting and Air Traffic Cadre training session for San Juan (ZSU) is planned the fi rst week of April. Surveillance Portfolio Analysis Work Group Eric Labardini and James Keith (NATCA AJV - 7) have been working closely with the Agency's multifaceted analysis of post 20 20 radar infrastructure needs. The ADS - B business case was built on an assumption that today's robust radar infrastructure could be reduced once ADS - B becomes the predominant surveillance source. The Agency built their business case on an assumption that 100+ secondary radar sources could be removed throughout the NAS. This causes concern in airspace that does not require ADS - B (many Class D or other Approach Controls). NATCA has been pointing toward another option, removing overlapping radar sources completely rather than harming operat ional capabilities nationwide. There se ems to be an awakening to this idea and analysis of the benefits is underway. An SRM Panel was held August 1 - 3 to analyze the risks associated with partial or complete removal of radar syste ms in a post 2020 environment. The conclusions of the Panel were that partial removal actually resulted in higher risks than complete removal. This assumes that complete removal would only occur where the effects were minimized by other overlapping radar sources nearby. An additional SRMD is planned for the week of Ap ril 9. Terminal Fusion: The Fusion Focus Group continues to track and resolve facilit y reported issues with Fusion. These are largely issues with the underlying surveillance infrastructure, and experts from all fields are available to assist. Please report any issues to your OSF and our NATCA SBS group for assistance. It is critical that actual data is recorded for evaluation and resolution. SCT issues continue to be a large focus. NATCA SBS is heavily involved in the Surveillance Automation Analysis Team (SAAT) which is examining long term alternatives to help improve overall sur veillance in the SCT airspace. The result is a multi - faceted approach including WAM, raising LGB radar, introducing other nearby radar feeds, STARS software change s, and radar software changes. In addition, SAAT is focused on mitigating tracking issues in the LA Basin due to the construction of a new NFL stadium on final approach to LAX. The LGB radar site is now back online and in use at SCT. The radar site was r ai sed from 37 feet to 67 feet. Feedback from SCT has been positive.