A Wishlist For Safety
For controllers, safety is paramount. They rely on skill and sound judgment to keep airplanes apart. Equipment designed in recent years also helps ensure air safety. Unfortunately, however, many controllers of today find themselves stuck with equipment of yesteryear.
“I’d really like to have new tower radar displays,” Grand Forks Tower Controller Chuck Adams said. “We have the old D-BRITE II, and the displays constantly break down and are washed out by the sun. I’ve seen the new flat panel displays, and they seem more reliable and are easier to see.”
At Boston Tower, NATCA’s Facility Representative Tom Coronite has an even simpler request. Radios that do not function properly have been a consistent problem at the facility. “How about some radios that work and provide frequency coverage over the entire airport?” Coronite asked. “It helps when I can actually communicate with aircraft.”
John Wallin, facility representative at Memphis Tower, would like to see a comprehensive ground tracking radar system at the airport. The Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) has proven unreliable in bad weather. Airport Surface Detection Equipment – Model X (ASDE-X) is more dependable in adverse runway conditions. “A working ground tracking radar system consisting of AMASS, ASDE-X and multilateral technology would help us maintain runway safety,” Wallin remarked. “Having the kind of system where controllers can always see aircraft on airport grounds is essential.”
Daniel Potts, a controller at Oregon’s Eugene Tower, agrees with Wallin on the importance of an effective ground surveillance system. “Pilots can make mistakes in the fog and I want to be able to prevent a possible accident,” Potts said. “When the visibility gets low enough, we go into Surface Movement Guidance and Control System [SMGCS – working signs and selective airport lighting]. This helps somewhat, but ASDE-X would be a very valuable tool.”
Difficulty communicating with pilots also proves frustrating for many NATCA members. The FAA canceled deployment of Controller-Pilot Datalink Communication (CPDLC), a system that allows controllers to send text messages instead of verbal communications for routine clearances to avoid frequency congestion and errors. “Frequency congestion is ridiculous these days,” said Paul DeBenedittis, a controller at Atlanta Center. “Incorrect read backs [from pilots] are now a regular occurrence. Eliminating this problem would enhance safety and efficiency, as well as reduce errors.”
Many center controllers believe the addition of the En Route Information Display System (ERIDS) will help promote efficiency of the service and improve their working conditions. “The system would allow us quicker access to aeronautical charts, handbooks, identifiers, aircraft types, approach plates, Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and almost anything else en route controllers need,” Los Angeles Center Controller Bruce Bates said.
Doug Fralick, NATCA’s director of Safety and Technology, spends a lot of his time trying to ensure controllers have the equipment they need to maximize safety. He shares the sentiments of many NATCA members working in facilities across the country. “My wish list for modernization would include a data link system to remove the most routine transmissions from the pilot/controller workload and free up the frequency for essential transmissions; a next generation digital communication system to avoid blocked transmissions, stuck mikes and garbled instructions; ERAM for our centers; and multilateration systems to aid ASDE-X in the prevention of runway accidents,” Fralick said. “These are the type of tools our controllers would like to see in the near future, since they all address what we consider the most important part of our job: safety.”
James Marinitti, facility representative at Miami Tower, has a different request. While he believes reliable equipment is important, he thinks it pales in comparison to adequate staffing. “How about modernizing the workforce? We need fresh bodies to replace the rapidly aging workforce in facilities across the country,” he said. “In the end I’d take the bodies over any piece of equipment. When equipment goes down, the only ones holding this system together are controllers.”
