Centerlines - April 2008 - (Page 44) NEW TECHNOLOGY next year is the use of continuous descent approaches and continuous ascent departures. FrederickRecascino explained that instead of an aircraft making gradual landings in a series of steps, dropping and then leveling off in stages, the aircraft would have a continuous descent into the airport, which could cut down on fuel costs and noise. “That activity tends to be quieter and could save on fuel costs,” she said. “It’s really a technique more than a technology.” Development Offi ce (JPDO) says is worthy of testing. None of this is designed to replace air traffic controllers, Zarefoss and Frederick-Recascino agreed. Rather, the hope is that technologies such as ASDE-X and ADS-B will make the air traffic controllers’ jobs easier and help them be more efficient. “The controller is going to be there and play his critical role for safety and security and effective operation of the system,” Zarefoss said. “What we’re really talking about is a new generation of automation tool that’s going to enable the controller to handle much higher traffic loads than he can today.” attempting to bring the work the industry and government are doing together in the most effective way possible, and then “to offer the opportunity to accelerate operational implementation,” he said. “And by creating an open environment where other industry partners can come in, where we’re running very public demonstrations, where we’re showing the results of the research and sharing that,” Zarefoss said. “I think that’s kind of taking a different approach.” “Each of the companies agrees that [it has] a vested interest in highlighting [its] technologies so the companies and EmbryRiddle are putting money into this project—that is then also supplemented by federal funds,” Frederick-Recascino said. Over the course of five years, if the project were to engage in every activity that is planned, she estimates the project will require some $50 million in funding. The technology will likely be implemented in phases at the airport. Frederick-Recascino said the project staff is working closely with FAA to develop studies to implement a series of technologies in different stages, and then examine the results of each phase. In the FAA’s FY08 budget, the project will receive some $2 million. The first reports on technology implementation at Daytona International are expected within the next nine to 12 months, said Frederick-Recascino. As for Daytona International’s participation, Smith said the airport has offered up labor, real estate, and the cooperation between the project and operations, tenants, and the air traffic control tower. “We are expecting great things from the project,” said Smith. “We expect that we will just be the first beneficiary in the long line of airports that will benefit from the testing that is taking place at Daytona.” The Virtual Tower Virtual tower concepts are also slated to be researched at Daytona Beach International. According to Frederick-Recascino, in the future, because of the “vast array of networked operations,” building air traffic control towers will no longer be necessary. “You could literally have a nerve center existing anywhere—it could be an underground bunker—where the controllers would be sitting. But instead of getting live visual information, they’re getting live digital information. They’re getting the same picture in the same amount of time, but it’s a digital picture. So you don’t necessarily have to see out the window and build these enormously expensive air traffic control towers to get the same perspective and be able to have the same type of operation.” With more planes using technology like Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and self-separation, she said that virtual tower technology might actually become a reality. Frederick-Recascino added that it is “somewhat of a controversial idea,” but one that the Joint Planning and Collaboration—and Competition While having competing companies working together can pose challenges, in this case, it is one of the strengths of the program, said Frederick-Recascino. “We all have agreed to play by the rules; we have a memorandum of understanding that we’ve all signed and we’re all working together,” she added. The FAA and the funding that is in place considers the project an open public-private partnership, and Frederick-Recascino expects there will be more companies to join the consortium. Zarefoss said it was a challenge to bring a group of companies together who compete among themselves in the marketplace. However, so far it has been an “excellent example of industry collaboration and recognition that the NextGen initiative of the FAA is very important,” he says. “We’re very careful as we work together to protect each other’s intellectual property.” Zarefoss adds that the project is “trying to take a holistic approach.” For more on research at Embry-Riddle and the Integrated The team members Airport Project, visit www.erau.edu/research/erau_reacknowledge that search_park.html. this is valuable research that is WEBLINKS 44 CENTERLINES | APRIL 2008 http://www.erau.edu/research/erau_research_park.html http://www.erau.edu/research/erau_research_park.html
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