Sat, Aug 20, 2005
Project Aimed At Airfield Safety
Continuing its global
leadership in airfield safety and cutting-edge implementation of
new safety standards, DFW International Airport this week accepted
a $4M grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to fund
construction of the first phase of perimeter taxiways around the
Airport. DFW is expected to have the taxiway project completed by
2008, increasing runway safety while speeding passengers to their
gate without having to stop to wait for opportunities to cross an
active runway.
"At DFW, safety and
security are our top priorities, and it all begins as soon as a
plane reaches our 18,000 acres," says Jim Crites, executive vice
president of operations at DFW. "What this Airport team has
done over the past five years to improve airfield safety has put
new safety programs and procedures in airports around the
world. We are extremely proud of that -- and now perimeter
taxiways will be the latest innovation that will improve an already
phenomenal track record at DFW."
Perimeter taxiways -- ribbons of concrete that will circle DFW's
massive airfield and seven runways -- enable aircraft to taxi
around runways rather than having to cross them, avoiding possible
incursions while decreasing radio communications traffic between
pilots and controllers. The precedent-setting program was
successfully tested by DFW and by NASA at its Ames FutureFlight
Central, virtual reality control tower, and at the FAA's William J.
Hughes Technical Center. Active-duty pilots and air traffic
controllers who fly out of and work at DFW took part in the
testing.
"The Federal Aviation
Administration has been working in partnership with the Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport for over 11 years on a safety and
efficiency initiative, known as the Perimeter Taxiway System, an
initiative that will reduce significantly the over 1,700 daily
runway crossings," said Mike Nicely, manager of the FAA's Texas
Airport Development Office. "The FAA is very impressed with
DFW's continued commitment toward enhancing safety at the airport
with initiatives such as the Perimeter Taxiway System and looks
forward to this first quadrant becoming operational."
In addition, DFW's airfield safety programs were recently
recognized for a record-setting fourth consecutive year of
zero-discrepancies in its FAA certification process -- covering
more than 3.8 million take-offs and landings in that period.
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