Airport Surface Traffic Control System Requirements Analysis.

Abstract

This report documents the results of an Airport Surface Traffic Control (ASTC) requirements analysis. Problems and potential payoffs are explored in the areas of capacity and delay, productivity, safety, and equipment limitations. Alternative approaches to solving ASTC problems are identified and their costs estimated. Benefits are estimated and alternatives compared. The potential for Ground Control saturation during bad cab visibility is shown to exist at Chicago O'Hare today, and at Los Angeles and Atlanta by the mid-1980's. the Tower Automated Ground Surveillance (TAGS) concept, using multiple ATCRBS interrogators to add target identity to the output of the ASDE-3 in a single hybrid display, is recommended for development and deployment at these three airports. Analysis shows that increased traffic forecasts could require two ground controllers at ten airports by the late 1980's. A standard taxiway routing system might eliminate the second ground controller at eight airports, with annual benefits of $500,000. Analysis of accidents occurring on the surface of ATC-towered airports reveals that 87% of accident costs and 76% of fatalities occurred at the top 25 air carrier airports. A study is recommended to identify the causes and hypothesize solutions to this category of accidents. Another potential safety problem is lack of positive runway clearance assurance at airports which operate during bad cab visibility but do not qualify for an ASDE-3.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA072170

Entities

People

  • David S. Prerau
  • Frederick Frankel
  • James. E. Kuhn
  • Lloyd E. Stevenson
  • Paul S. Rempfer

Organizations

  • John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Traffic Control Systems
  • Aircrafts
  • Capital Investments
  • Computers
  • Control Systems
  • Cost Estimates
  • Data Links
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Radar
  • Surveillance
  • Systems Engineering
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Visual Surveillance
  • Web Browsers

Readers

  • Aviation Safety and Air Traffic Management