Tue, Mar 15, 2005
ATC Gear In Fort Wayne's New Tower Was Built In 70s
We can't speak to
something borrowed, something blue, but there's a lot of old inside
the new control tower at Fort Wayne International Airport in
Indiana. The $12 million tower is chock-full of equipment on the
trailing edge of technology.
The tower is being equipped with the ARTS system (Automated
Radar Terminal Systems) -- based on technology first installed in
1974. Originally, the new tower was supposed to house STARS
(Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System) gear, but the
cost was prohibitive.
"We understand trying to keep costs under control, but it
doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense," said
NATCA spokesman Brad Hiatt.
What's the deal? The answer from the FAA might be gaulling to
folks in places like Fort Wayne. "We’re putting the
money where the need is greatest," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth
Corey.
The FAA was originally
supposed to spend $970 million to upgrade to the STARS system at
airports all over the country. But the upgrade project ran way over
budget. Now, the FAA is spending $1.6 billion to install it in just
47 of the busiest airports in the country. Fort Wayne isn't one of
them.
"We’re probably 10 years ahead of ourselves in getting the
air tower," said Martin Green, aide to Congressman Mark Souder
(R-IN). “As a result, the FAA is going to have to catch up
with us.” Like Hiatt and Corey, Souder was quoted in the Fort
Wayne Journal-Gazette.
"We are disappointed the FAA is considering putting refurbished
equipment into the new state-of-the-art facility and we’ll
continue to push for the originally programmed STARS equipment,"
said Airport Executive Director Tory Richardson in a statement to
the Journal-Gazette.
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