Iain Murray says that there’s never been a better time to reform Air Traffic Control. Though, actually, doing it in the past would have been better. As he notes, though, the politics probably still won’t allow it.
4 thoughts on “Long Overdue”
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As a private pilot and airplane owner, I try to keep abreast of ATC upgrades like ADS-B. It’s a cool technology but like anything else, it’s subject to a cost/benefit analysis. The latest proposals that I know about call for all planes that fly above 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) to have ADS-B Out by a specified date (2017?). The problem with that is that ADS-B Out gives us no advantage over the current ATC system (it only reports the plane’s position, basically replacing the need for ground based radars) at a cost of at least several thousand dollars per plane. Given that my plane is 41 years old, upgrading to ADS-B will add a lot of expense to my plane with no benefit. Staying below 10,000 feet MSL isn’t always a viable solution because I live in Colorado (my home airport is 6800 feet above sea level) and flying high is sometimes required to stay above the rocks and trees. The rules make no exception for those of us who live in mountainous states.
ADS-B In/Out will at least give us something in return (positional data for other aircraft and perhaps weather info for starters). That won’t be cheap, either. The last I recall reading, the FAA won’t support ADS-B In/Out anytime soon.
There’s also the cost of the other equipment that ADS-B requires. For example, does it require a certified GPS to report the aircraft’s position? If so, they start at about $3000 for a used IFR-certifiable unit (add another $3000 or so for installation and other required equipment like a compatable CDI). I’m saving up for adding such a unit to my plane but that represents a significant percentage of the plane’s value. It’s really hard to justify that expense.
Adding ADS-B to airliners won’t be cheap, either but the cost depends a great deal on how old and how well equipped each individual plane is. It can easily add $100,000 or more to the cost of each airliner. Given how cash strapped most airlines are, it isn’t easy to come up with the money.
A couple of minor points
1) I agree with the Thrust of the article, computer controlled landing
will reduce fuel consumption, which is a net plus for the airlines.
2) At least in the US, most Tower employees are Contractors, I don’t know about the in-route centers and arrival control, they may be FAA guys, but the
smaller towers are now contractors.
3) The Departure functions still make sense to let humans control them.
The Routing will adjust their arrivals for their arrival windows.
4) You still need most of those people. When the computers glitch up,
you are screwed if you don’t have people on hot standby to grab the sectors.
5) This system assumes 100% comms and 100% cooperation. When a loose flyer is in the system, you need eyes on the screens. Airplanes with massive electrical failure will require help to steer traffic around them.
Solar storms will push this system hard.
ADS-B, GPS and ATIS are big improvements no doubt, but, you need humans who can handle things.
The real hazard is keeping the people sharp if they rely on the computer too much. They may need to run some serious excercises every shift to keep their skills up, or routinely shut the computers down and have the controllers plug in to manage for an hour every 4.
I’m not sure how to take this statement…
Flights are more direct because they do not have to follow prescribed pathways.
Well, yeah they do. You might change the pathways, but you have to keep in mind that traffic is not routed by computer, it’s routed by men and woman that keep those maps in their heads. Those Vortacs serve more than the purpose of defining paths. Their known positions allow those men and women to apply F.A.R. rules to maintain separation.
As a computer programmer and a former ATCS I can tell you not all solutions are by computer. In an emergency, does the pilot dial a number and get, ‘for spanish please press one…’
I’m a pilot and a free market conservative. But I’m wary of privatization in areas which are natural monopolies. ATC has, and can have, no competition. Ask any pilot how the privatization of aviation weather briefings has gone and you’ll know why I’m skeptical here. Modernization is what you’re really calling for here, and I agree that it would be a big win. Maybe we could finance the upgrade by fining Airlines who schedule more flights to an airport than it can physically handle.