Page 16 - AAA JUNE - JULY 2017 Online Magazine

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Sharper Eyes

The ATC world is starting to embrace big changes in order to handle increased air traffic
By Jay Menon

AviAtion mYsteries suCH As tHe oceans and poles where there are no other limiting the impact of a legacy surveillance
disappearance of Malaysian Airlines surveillance options, the ability to provide outage or system failure, he adds. Aireon and
Flight 370 may become a thing of the past optimum flight profiles and routes is limited. the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
within a year and a half. The first global air “Aireon aims to change this by placing ADS-B have already conducted a successful flight
traffic surveillance system using a space- receivers on the Iridium NEXT constellation, test of the space-based ADS-B technology,
based Automatic Dependent Surveillance- which consists of 66 Low Earth Orbit collecting ADS-B data to be used as part
Broadcast (ADS-B) network will make it (LEO) satellites,” says Thoma. “This space- of a larger validation effort exploring the
possible to extend visibility across the based AD-B receiver network will relay new system’s capability from low-earth
planet. On January 14, 2017, the first ten signals from all ADS-B equipped aircraft to orbit. The flight took place on March 30,
Iridium NEXT satellites carrying the Aireon controllers worldwide, allowing 100 per cent 2017, utilizing the FAA’s specially equipped
ADS-B hosted payload were successfully global air traffic surveillance regardless “flying laboratory” Bombardier jet with three
launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base of terrain, location or infrastructure and AireonSM payloads available to receive
in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. In without requiring any additional surveillance data. A total of 2,462 ADS-B messages were
about 18 months, Iridium’s new constellation infrastructure by the ANSPs or equipage by received and decoded providing comparable
will be fully in place. the airlines.”. data to that of terrestrial ADS-B stations.
“Iridium’s new satellites feature According to the Aireon official, full According to Aireon, the flight test was highly
ADS-B receivers capable of tracking the surveillance over oceanic and remote airspace choreographed and precisely located and
GPS position of ADS-B-equipped aircraft will bring more efficient use of airspace, timed within the Washington and New York
in real time anywhere above the earth’s substantial fuel savings, fewer delays and Flight Information Regions (FIRs) to help
surface,” says Aireon Chief Executive significant enhancement of safety over large provide validation of the capabilities of the
Officer Don Thoma. Aireon will enable real- parts of the world. “The space-based ADS-B Aireon system.
time transmission of ADS-B reports from system will allow air traffic controllers to Made possible by the FAA’s NextGen
equipped aircraft to Air Traffic Management provide airlines with increased flexibility to program, the coordinated flight test involved
(ATM) automation platforms and Air Traffic optimize altitudes, fly more direct routes trials of 125-watt top and bottom-mounted
Controllers (ATCs) in every Flight Information and avoid weather interruptions which antennas on the FAA’s “flying laboratory” jet
Region (FIR) throughout the world. drives billions in fuel savings for airlines,” known as N47. Aireon’s space-based ADS-B
Currently, 70 per cent of the world’s FIRs Thoma says. Space-based ADS-B can be global surveillance and aircraft tracking
are uncovered by any real-time surveillance. used to complement existing surveillance technology is largely a combination of FAA
Terrestrial surveillance systems, such as systems, allowing ANSPs to optimize current NextGen advancements, and the Iridium®
radar, land-based ADS-B and Wide Area surveillance infrastructure, reducing costs NEXT satellite constellation, which hosts
Multilateration (WAM) are limited to line-of- and improving reliability, he says. Aireon’s the Aireon ADS-B receivers. “A flight test
sight and can be expensive to implement and space-based ADS-B system can also be used coordinated with the FAA was the ultimate
maintain in remote locations. In areas such as as a contingency surveillance layer, aimed at validation accomplishment for the Aireon
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