Delivery Already Underway
Sensis Corporation says the FAA has
awarded a contract for a Remote Control and Monitoring System
(RCMS) on the Capstone Program's Ground-Based Transceivers
(GBTs).
In fact, Sensis says it's completed delivery of the initial
production lot of the Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) Automatic
Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) GBTs for the Program.
Capstone is a joint industry and FAA effort to accelerate
improvements to aviation safety and efficiency by introducing cost
effective avionics technology and ground
infrastructure. Before the program got underway, Alaska's
small aircraft experienced five times the national average number
of accidents. The state has a mountainous terrain and many cities
and towns, including the capital Juneau, that are accessible only
by aircraft and ship. Sensis ADS-B GBTs will be used to help reduce
small aircraft accidents with
improved situational awareness for pilots and air traffic
controllers.
Sensis RCMS consists of two components: a Central Control and
Monitoring Server (CCMS) and a Local Control and Monitoring
Software (LCMS). The CCMS allows system specialists at the
FAA's Air Route Traffic Control Center in Anchorage to monitor,
maintain and certify Sensis' ADS-B GBTs without sending field
technicians to the transceiver locations. The remote
capabilities of the CCMS include reconfiguring the GBTs, adjusting
power output and operating in test mode. The LCMS is used by
field technicians when site visits are necessary, enabling them to
reconfigure the ADS-B GBTs and to address any issues identified by
the CCMS via their laptop PCs.
"Because of Alaska's rugged terrain,
the current process for maintaining a transceiver is expensive,
time consuming and potentially dangerous," said Marc Viggiano,
president of Sensis' Air Traffic Systems Division. "Many GBT
locations are so remote that a five day supply of food is stored at
the site and field technicians are dropped off by plane as near to
the GBT location as possible. Additionally, they are equipped
with a firearm for personal protection. With the ability to
remotely monitor and configure the GBTs provided by the Sensis
RCMS, the physical location of the ADS-B GBTs becomes much less of
a factor."
Sensis has delivered a total of 78 UAT ADS-B GBTs to the
Capstone Program and the FAA's Safe Flight 21 Program. Safe
Flight 21 is a joint FAA and industry cooperative effort in the
lower 48 states to explore the use of ADS-B and other related
enabling technologies for improving the safety, efficiency and
capacity of the National Airspace System.
The ADS-B GBTs support aircraft
position determination, as well as broadcast services for cockpit
display of aircraft traffic graphical weather maps and textual
aeronautical data in full compliance with the RTCA Minimum
Operational Performance Standards. "In Alaska, which has an
economy dependent on aviation, air traffic controllers must contend
with a challenging airspace, including frequent low ceilings and
limited radar coverage," said Mr. Viggiano. "Sensis' ADS-B
GBT technology, coupled with advanced avionics, provides a safer
airspace by providing accurate surveillance coverage in non-radar
airspace."