Airport upgrading flight technology

Airport upgrading flight technology

(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — New technology introduced at Salt Lake City International Airport is expected to improve the way air traffic is handled and save carriers and passengers time and money.

On Monday, the next generation air traffic control system was unveiled. Called Data Comm, it enhances communication between air traffic controllers and pilots by replacing some traditional voice communication procedures with digital information exchanges.

“This switch from voice to automatic messages doesn’t just speed things up, it also increases safety (by) reducing the chance of error while relaying information,” Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta said. “Additionally, it allows controllers to send text instructions to several aircraft at once — a lot more accurate process than having a lot of different conversations.”

The system is “up and running” at 36 airport control towers nationwide, he said, with the number expected to grow to about 50 locations by year’s end.

Data Comm transmits text-written information between the control tower and pilots rather than traditional voice communication, said FAA program manager Jesse Wijntjes. The two parties relay flight plans and routes traveled.

“If anything has to change in that path to the destination, it (currently) has to be done through two human beings on a radio,” he said. “Depending upon how big a change, it can be very complicated and time-consuming." That changes with the new system.

“Now, you just type the change in and hit “send,” he said. “What would have taken 15, 20 or 25 minutes depending on how busy (the airport) is now takes 2 to 4 minutes.”

He said the new technology is safe and secure with backups and redundancies built into it.

Pilot's perspective

From a pilot standpoint, the new data program will offer welcome relief from excess time spent performing administrative functions rather than concentrating on flying the aircraft, said Jim Graham, vice president of flying operations and chief pilot for Delta Airlines.

He said voice communication is labor intensive, time-consuming and can lead to miscommunications, whereas the new system would enable streamlined, two-way text exchanges between controllers and flight crews for instructions, advisories, flight crew requests and reports with much less hassle.

Delta pilot Jon Pendleton points out the new controls on a 737-900 plane as Federal Aviation Administration officials announced a new communication system between the tower and flight crews at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Delta pilot Jon Pendleton points out the new controls on a 737-900 plane as Federal Aviation Administration officials announced a new communication system between the tower and flight crews at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

Better communication improves controller and pilot productivity, improves safety, can reduce flight delays and can help aircraft fly more direct routes, which saves time and fuel while reducing aviation’s impact on the environment, he said.

“As quick as we can get out to the end of the runway and into the air, (the better)," Graham said. "The benefit is really going to be tremendous,”

Huerta said a number of U.S. air carriers are implementing the Data Comm system at Salt Lake City International Airport, including American, Delta, FedEx, Southwest, United Parcel Service, as well as various general aviation operators.

The agency began testing Data Comm in 2014 at Newark and Memphis with UPS, FedEx and United Airlines, along with select international operators, he said. The new system was initially deployed in air traffic control towers last fall. The technology will be installed in air traffic control facilities that manage high-altitude traffic beginning in 2019, Huerta said.

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