Tue, Sep 14, 2010
Early Warning Alert System Installed And Operational On
LG&E Lines
An innovative early-warning alert system for aircraft is fully
operational on the Ohio River about 30 miles upriver from
Louisville, near Madison, IN, according to energy services company
OCAS. It's associated with the construction of a new 345 Kv
transmission line for Louisville Gas & Electric Company
(LG&E) that spans the Ohio River near LG&E's Trimble County
Generating facility. Towers on either end of this river crossing
are more than 430 feet high thus making the towers and wire
crossing a potential obstruction to aircraft.
File Photo
"LG&E worked closely with OCAS in the early phases of the
FAA testing and approval," said David Comstock, Transmission
Right-of-Way Coordinator, of LG&E, in a news release Monday.
"We were impressed with the concept, capabilities, and the
potential of the system to greatly improve the safety of the flying
environment."
Known as the Obstacle Collision Avoidance System (OCAS), OCAS
uses a small radar located near one of the towers that detects and
tracks an aircraft's proximity to the span. If an aircraft
approaches the span, white strobe lights are activated to attract
the pilot's attention to the span. If the pilot does not take
action and the aircraft continues toward the span, a warning
message is transmitted to the pilot's radio. The message includes
warning tones and a description of "POWER LINES... POWER LINES". No
additional equipment is required on the aircraft. The audio warning
is one of the most powerful aspects of the OCAS solution as it
provides a warning in any type of visibility or weather conditions.
OCAS allows warning lights to remain in an operational "sleep"
mode, thus only activated when aircraft approach the obstacle. This
greatly reduces light pollution to the surrounding area and the
actual flash time on the light themselves, greatly reducing
maintenance and replacement costs. The system was installed by OCAS
Inc., of Vienna, VA.
OCAS is the first Audio Visual Warning System (AVWS) to be
installed, tested, and approved by the FAA for use in the National
Airspace System (NAS). OCAS is currently operational with other
utilities in the US such as Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as well as in Canada, and
Europe and is dramatically improving air safety for both aviators
and the owners of hazardous aeronautical obstructions.
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