Volpe Center Highlights
Safety
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Expanding Airport Surveillance Capabilities (FAA)
The Volpe Center's Airport Surface Division provides extensive technical and management expertise to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Safe Flight 21 (SF21) program. SF21, a cooperative government and industry effort, seeks to develop and demonstrate a set of aircraft navigation, surveillance, and information-distribution tools derived from evolving technologies. In general, these technologies improve the sharing of real-time information between the pilot and the air traffic controller. Leveraging work accomplished earlier at the Atlanta and Dallas/Ft. Worth airports, the Airport Surface Division plays a major role in requirements definition, system engineering, software development, site engineering, and analysis of surface and terminal surveillance systems for the FAA's SF21 test bed at the Memphis International Airport.
 Memphis Outer Ring Terminal-area Multilateration Surveillance system. Multilateration determines the location of an aircraft by interrogating the aircraft's transponder. The transponder's reply is measured by an array of sensors on the ground that computes aircraft identification and position. (View larger image.) |
The Volpe team, composed of Messrs. Frank Coyne, Steve Nuzzi, Ray Lambert, and Brent Midwood, all of the Division, recently achieved a significant milestone in airport surveillance that will improve airport safety on the ground and in the air. In December 2002, the team completed testing and evaluation of the Memphis Outer Ring (MOR) Terminal-area Multilateration Surveillance system. Multilateration determines the location of an aircraft by interrogating the aircraft's transponder. The transponder's reply is measured by an array of sensors on the ground that computes aircraft identification and position. This project extends surveillance well beyond the surface to include a surveillance volume of 60 nm from the airport to an altitude in excess of 45,000 ft surrounding Memphis. The recent MOR proof-of-concept showed very promising performance; the Volpe Center team recommended that the FAA proceed to the next phase of development.