IFATCA The Controller - 3rd Quarter 1984

ISSN 0010-8073

JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDE RATION OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS' ASSOC IAT IONS

/84 BERN. SW ITZERLAND

3 RD QUARTER 1984

VO LUME 23

SFrs 5 -

--

MARCH

18-22

2 4 th A N N U A L

C O N F E R E N C E

IFATCA JOURNAL OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

THE CONTROLLER Bern, Switzerland, September 1984

Volume 23 · No . 3

Publisher: Internationa l Federatio n ot Air Traffic Controllers· Associations. P.O. Box 196. CH-1 21 5 Geneva 1 5 Airport. Switzerland

Editorial

In this issue

The following is a letter by H. H. Henschler. IFA TCA President to US Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole.

Officers of IFATCA: HH . Henschl er. President. Lex Hendr iks. Vice- President (Technica l). E. Sermij n. VicePresident (Professional). I. Finlay. Vice-President (Administration). B. Grezet . Treasurer. P. O' Dohert y.

Exec uti ve Secre tary Editor: A . Avgoustis 5 Athens Str . Ayios Dhom etios Nicosia. Cyprus Telephon e (02 1) 4 87 86 Management and Advertising Sales Office : The Controller. P.O. Box 196.

CH-1 21 5 Geneva 15 Airport. Switzerland H.U. Heim . Subscriptions and Publicity.

Tel. (022) 82 26 79 M . Henchoz. Account ing. Tel. (022) 92 5 6 82 B. Laydeva nt . Sales Promo tion. Tel. (022) 82 79 83

Modernization of the Canadian ATC Services

page2

Th e PAP IS

page6

Production · Der Bund·. Verlag und Druckerei AG Effingerstrasse 1. CH-3001 Bern.

Telephone (031) 25 66 55 Subscriptions and Advertising Payments to: IFATCA / The Controller . Union de Banques Suisses P.O . Box 237 CH- 1 2 1 5 Geneva Airport. Switzer land Acc . No . 602 254.M D L

Subsc ription Rate: SFrs. 8 .- per annum for members of IFATCA: SFrs 20.- per annum for non-membe rs (P & P w ill be charged extra).

C_ont ributor s are expressing their personal points of view and opin ions. w hich may not necessarily coincide With those of the International Federation of Air Trafli c Controller s· Associat ion (IFATCA).

IFATCA does not assume responsibility for statements made and opin ions expressed. it does only accept responsibi lity for pub lishing these co ntributions .

Contribution s are we lcome as are com ments and criticism . No payment can be made for manuscripts submitted for pub lication in 'The Cont roller· . The Edi tor reserves the right to make any editori al changes in manuscrip ts. which he believes w ill improve the material w ithout alte ring the intended meaning .

FAA' s new Te rm inal Rad a r

page 74

Wri tt en permi ssion by the Editor is necessary for reprintin g any part of thi s Journal.

Advertisers in this issue IFAT CA 85 . Ferrant i. M arconi. lips , Aer Lingus

Phi-

Phot os: AA, Hiro Tade. Ar chive s Cartoons M artin Germa ns

Th e Automat ic SS R Tax iway Test Fac ili ty page22

Madam Secretary .

The Intern ationa l Federat ion of Air Traffic Controllers · Associations . the nonpolitical . non-profit. repre se nt ative organization of sixty national air tra ffic control lers· assoc iation s. has in t he past exp ressed its co ncerns about the air traffic control situation in your co unt ry fol lowing the 1981 PATCO strike.

IFATCA was instr ume nt al in developing the Conclusions of the Meeting of Experts on Air Traffi c Control . convened by the International Labour Organization in May 1979 . and we have repeated ly pointed out the detrimental effect of abnormally long wo rking hour s per day and per week on the qualit y of air traffic control. as well as the req uirement for proper training standards and regular ho lidays .

It has been over two years since the PATCO strike. and we view with concern reports in the med ia on increased numbers of ·1osses of separation · and ·near-misses·. as we ll as reports by the NTSB on inadequ ate train ing fo r new control ler s. and express ions of apprehension regarding the absence of promised improvem ents by non-striking contro llers . as well as the increase in numb ers of traffic movement s.

As you w ill be aware . members of the Execu tive Board of I FATCA met . some two years ago. w it h yo ur predecessor and our suggestion was that . if the US system were to be return ed to pre-strike levels of excellence . the on ly immed iate . cost-effective way of doing so would be the reinsta tement of dismissed cont rolle rs .

If dismissa l of str iking contro llers was to be the 'p enalty · for 'breaking the law . · one may consider that the penalt y has been paid in not being able to work in one· s pro fession for over two years. Aviation has not . by any mean s. recovered from va riou s negative factors, and the soone r full ca pacity and safety levels are restored . the sooner the industry wi ll be healthy and thriving agai n Madam Secretary . IFATCA remains . as ever . w illi ng to assist in any way possib le to find avenues whic h would help restore air traffic control in the United State s to it s previous level of exce llen ce

of the existing surveillance and display systems with modern technology. and where justifiable. to increase our capability . This operational requirement statement was contained in the Air Traffic Service s Surveillance Requir ement to Year 2000 document.

As a result. a multi-disciplined RAMP team w as formed in early 1 981 .

The Canadian Air Traffic Control Associ ation (CA TCA) has input to this

By Carl Fisher project through the CA TCAI DOT Joint Technical Committee. Partly as a Carl Fisher. is the Regional Direc tor. Western Reg ion. CA TCA Co-Chairm an. result of the recommendation of the Joint Technical Committ ee. /LO sponsored Meeting of Experts on Problems Concerning Air Traffic Controller s whi ch took place at Geneva M ay 8-10 . 19 79 and the foresight of Mr. Peter Proulx . Director Air Traffic This projec t is call ed RAMP (Rad ar Services . a Joint Technical Committee Modernization Proj ect). RAMP is pa rt (JTC) was formed in December of the Canadian A irspa ce Plan (CASP) .

19 79 . This committee consists o路f CASP is a 3. 5 billion dollar plan to members from CA TCA and the Demod ernize Canada 路s air traff ic control . partment of Transport (DOT). One of weath er repo r ting and air na vig a tio n the terms of referen ce of this commitsystems. tee is to formulate operational RAMP is a m aj or Crow n project requirements for new equipment which has th e mandate to procure .

Since the inception of RAMP CATCA . and insta ll 22 Termin al Surveillance through the JTC. has been involved 0 ~ Radars (TSR) to provide airport . tera continuous basis with the RAMP minal. and enro ute radar control Team in writing the operational re(these system s consist of co-lo cated quirements PSR and SSR system s); 1 7 IndepenCATCA has work ed very quietly on dent Secon da ry Surveillan c e Radars this proJect. taking the approach that (ISSR) to f ill hig h alti t ude enroute when there was some concrete evicoverag e gaps betw een the TSR sysdence that this project was a reality tems; two oth er TSR syst em s. one at w e w ould then come forward publicly. the Transpo rt Canada Training Insti The fir st step occurred in June. 1983 tute (TCTI) in Cornwal l for ope ration al when the Treasury Board approved and tech nica l t raini ng. and th e othe r Car l Fisher funding of 81 0 million dollar s for at the Developme nt and M aint enanc e RAMP . It bec ame a reality when on Centre (DMC) in Ot tawa for th e purA s fa te w ould have it. by an OrderM ay 4 . 1 984. the Honorable Lloyd poses of syste m im prove ment s and in-Coun c il dated Augu st 3rd . 1979.

Axworth y. Mini ster of Transport, ant he Commi ssion of Inquiry on Aviation enhancements t hrough t esting . and nounced the awarding of a 390 Saf ety was c reated. The Commison-go ing research an d develop ment . million dollar contract to Raytheon sio ner. t he Honorable Mr. Justice Also included w ill be the procureCanada I Raytheon USA to supply the Cha rles L. Dubin . headed thi s Inquir y . radar equipment under RAMP ment and insta llation of t he lat est w hich was provided w ith a very broad state-of-the-art aut om at ed air t raff ic The next pha se in this proje~t is the m and at e. control rada r disp lay systems w hic h awa rding of th e contr act for the DisCATCA along with other organizaw ill equip eight sta nd-a lone Termi na l play Equipment (DSE) and the Radar Control Units (TCU). 2 7 co ntr o l t io ns. spent mu c h mon ey and time in Dat a Processing s .y stem (RDPS) (up presenting submi ssion s to th e Inquiry . grade of JETS equipment). This is extowers. two traini ng an d suppo rt faOne of o ur m ajor arguments w as the ci lities. also necessa ry modifi ca ti ons pected to occur in the Spring of 1 985. to seven J ETS-eq ui ppe d A rea Contro l obs ol esc enc e of th e c urrent ATC RAMP Radar System Perform ance eq ui pmen t and th e need to upgrade Cap abiliti es - There are tw o types of Centres (ACC).

Let's go back in history and see the ATC system in Canada. We w ere RAMP radar systems. namel y Terminrewa rded for our eff orts w hen Ju stice al Surveillance Radar (TSR). which is how we arrived w here we are t oday.

Over t he past yea rs co nce rns we re Dubin repo rted th at 'the radar equip - compri sed of c o-located primary and expressed by t he Canadi an A ir Traffi c me nt prese ntl y in use is ob solete. 路 second ary surveillan ce radar s. and inCont rol Associat ion (CATCA). A ir Reco mmen dati on No . 1 52 of th e dependent secondar y surveillance radar (ISSR) w hic h is a stand- alone Traffic Cont ro l Manageme nt and t he Com mi ssion of Inquiry on Aviation Safety st ate d 't he A ir Navigat ion al second ary surveillance radar . then known Telecomm unicat ions and Service Branc h should g ive the high Prim ary Surveil lance Radar(PSR)Electro nics Branch Managemen t about the increas ing obso lescence of est pri ority to an acce lerati on of th e The prim ary radar elem ent of th e the cur rent age ing ATC radar and dis - Radar M oderniza t io n Progr am w ith a TSR' s w ill be able t o detec t. pro c ess view to rep lac ing t he present obsolete and provide for di splay up t o 400 pri play systems and the need to replace rada r equ ip ment as soo n as possible .路 mary radar target s in digit al format them. as we ll as the need to provide In view of t he above. an ope rati onal durin g eac h ant enn a scan. The analternat ive systems to the current requi rem ent was deve lope d w hich re- t enna rotation speed w ill be 1 2 rpm military Secondary Surveillance co mm ended co m plete rep lace ment and w ill be capab le of det ecting airRada rs (SSRs) .

Modernization of the Canadian Air Traffic Control System

2

The world of ATC is changing and growing.

With the help of computer technology you can see more and do more now than you could even five years ago, both in simulation and in radar data processing and display.

Not surprisingly it is Ferranti that is changing the picture. We are foremost in applying computers and display systems to the ATC function . The work we are putting into the processing and display of ATC pictures is bringing simulators and operational systems closer togethe:r And we are doing some forward thinking and planning for the new ATC techniques that will soon be coming into view.

If you want to broaden your ATC horizons, contact:Ferranti Computer Systems Limited, Cwmbran System Sales, Ty Coch Way, Cwmbran, Gwent NP44 7XX Telephone: Cwmbran (06333)71111 Telex: 497636

FERRANTI

ComputerSystems

craft to a range of 80 NM in radius up to an altitude of 23,000 ft AGL. The system will detect, and process for display, hazardous weather in two intensity levels (i.e., heavy rainfall and thunderstorms) within a radius of 100 NM up to 25,000 ft AGL. An essential feature of the RAMP radars is that there will be considerable digital processing of radar data at the radar site using microprocessor technology. This digital processing will reduce undesired targets such as: • stationary targets (with the exception of selected permanent echoes) • moving clutter, (e.g.. vehicles, trains. tree-leaf motion, etc.)

• second-time-around aircraft and weather targets • sources of interference such as thermal noise.

Other features are: • radar blind speed elimination for aircraft speeds of 800 kts or less • significant resolution of tangential fading • improved aircraft detection in heavy precipitation and over areas of heavy clutter • significantly improved aircraft position detection accuracy and target resolution.

Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR)- The RAMP SSR system will differ from the existing SSR in two major areas. First, as with the PSR, considerable digital processing at the radar site, of SSR data using microprocessors will be an essential feature. Reduction of reflections, false replies. splits, side lobes, and code garbling will be achieved. These new systems will be capable of detecting, processing and providing for display in digital form replies from up to 400 transponder-equipped aircraft. They will detect replies out to a range of 250 NM up to an altitude of 70,000 ft AGL. The antenna rotation will be 1 2 rpm.

The system utilizes the modern monopulse technique of transponder azimuth detection. The monopulse feature is a significant improvement over conventional SSR systems in aircraft transponder tracking. Transport Canada· s current SSR system requires about 20 separate pulses from an aircraft transponder. These pulses are then 'averaged' to declare the aircraft azimuth. Monopulse SSR systems, on the other hand, are capable of greater accuracy from far less transponder pulse information. It requires as low as one pulse from the transponder to determine accurate azimuth of the air-

craft (hence the term 'monopulse') with the added advantages of considerable reduction of code garbling, reflections (ghosts) and second-timearound replies. Additionally, in future, the monopulse SSR can be upgraded to provide Mode Select Beacon System (Mode 'S') capability. This is the operational mode of the future which basically allows for a data link between the aircraft and the ground station.

Cossor Electronics of Great Britain will be providing the technology for monopulse SSR. They are presently installing these SSR systems in Great Britain.

Display Site Equipment (DSE) for stand-alone Terminal Units (TCUs) and Towers (TWRs)- The new ATC display systems for the stand-alone TCUs and TWRs will be completely digitized displays as both PSR and SSR will be digitized.

The display system will be able to communicate with display systems in other ATC units for the purpose of exchanging flight plan messages, and performing hand-offs. It will display static data such as maps, lists, etc., and dynamic data such as targets, weather in two intensity levels, as well as data blocks and associated alphanumerics and symbols.

Continues on page 25

/ \

\

RAMP Coverage (All Sites) 18,000 ft.

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Cossor to Supply an LVA Antenna to Holland Cassar Electronics will be supplying its new LVA (large vertical aperture) secondary surveillance radar antenna to the Dutc h radar station at Herwijnen. The order was received from Hollandse Signaalapparaten who are contracted to update the existing radar facilities.

Cassar introduced the LVA antenna. known as the CRS 5 1 2 . to improve SSR coverage and to eliminate the reflection s which can be experienced with existing ' hogtrough' antennas. A unit has been delivered to t he United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and has completed evaluation trials.

The antenna also forms part of . t he monopulse SSR system t hat t he compan y will be supplying to a large number of RA F airfields and Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) establishments .

Overseas. t he antenna is included in t he monopulse SSR system that the Company has sold to Saudi Arabia. and in th e major Canadian radar replacement program for which Cossor is under contra ct for the contract definition phase.

Canadian Aviation Safety Board Act (Exc erpt ed from Hansard 24 Oct .

83.)

Th e House pro ce eded to the consideration of Bill C- 16 3. an Act to est ab lish th e Canadian Aviation Safety Boa rd and t o amend cert ain A cts in co nsequ ence t hereof . as repo rted (w ith amendm ent s) from th e St andin g Committ ee on Transpo rt .

It is a very im port ant st ep forwa rd in putting in plac e good prot ect ion for th e Canadia n t ravel ling public and advanc ing our abilit y to pursue safety sta nda rds in th e co untr y. In so doing . I (Transport Mini st er Lloyd A xwo rth y) pay tribute to member s of th e Sta nding Committ ee o n Trans port from all Parti es w ho worked very diligen tly t o dea l w it h th e mat t er In fact . th ey moved it along w it h a great dea l of d ispat c h and a st rong sense of suppor t.

The Bill itself con tains several major c hanges w hic h wi ll ensure th at aviati on safety is bot h seen t o be and wi ll be a matte r of high prio rity and in wh ic h t he most adeq uat e and effec tive form of invest igat ion w ill t ake plac e The f irst ma jor principle of t he Bill is in fac t th e estab lishment of a boa rd to con du ct all investi gati ons and inqui ries int o any aviation occ urrence. The imp ortance of tha t is hig hlight ed in t he fi ndings of t he Dub in inqu iry w hic h po inted out the incons isten cy of having t he M inister of Trans-

port being respon sible for th e rule s and reg ulati ons on safety and for investigating any infracti on of tho se rules. It is like being j udge and j ury at th e same tim e.

The Bill w ill set up an ind epe nde nt bo ard that w ill be ab le to wo rk in an arm ' s length fas hion from t he Department of Transpo rt and th erefo re be in a pos iti on t o deal w ith any aviat ion acc ide nts in a very ope n and clear man ner w ith out any sense of percepti on t hat somehow it is a matt er about w hich th e Depart me nt of Transport . t he Govern ment or someo ne else is trying not to provide all t he fac t s. The

ind epende nce itself is a very import ant matt er.

The seco nd major result of the Bill wi ll be to ens ure that inqu iries and invest igat ions w ill make pu b lic recom mendations so th at there wi ll be no app rehension on the part of t he travelling public or of any other member of soc iety th at something is bein g he ld back. In fact . t he Bill give s th e Saf ety Board the right t o hold publ ic inq uirie s and to reque st th e Governor in Co un c il to set up such inqu iries under the Inq uiries Act .

Mot ion agre ed t o and Bi ll read the th ird time and passed .

Items for Sale - Pr ice List Item

I FATCA Memb ers

Non -m eml.Jers

IFATCA M anual I FATCA Info rmati on Handbook IFATCA Conference repo rt

50 .50 .25 .-

not for sale not for sale 25 .-

IFATCA pub licat ion s - Hi-jacki ng po licy - A uto mati on - Training 'The Cont roller IFATCA t ie I FATCA sti cker I FATCA label pin

2.5 0 2. 50 4 50 8. 15.1 .3.-

3 3 .5 50 2 0 .not for sale 1 .not fo r sale

Prices valid from June 1st . 1984 All prices show n in Sw iss Francs. post age and package w ill be c harged in add iti on t o t he indica ted prices All item s can be obtained from the Sec retariat IFATCA Sec retariat 2 6 . Carric khill Close . Portmarnock . Co . Du blin . Ireland 5

Principle and Layout

An Introduction

to

PA PI uses the same principle of red and w hit e visual signal s as does VASI but wi th some essential differences in layo ut .

A sing le wing bar consist ing of four sepa rate. eq ually spaced light unit s is mounted in a horiz o nt al line at right ang les to. and to the left of . the run way. The distance from the threshold of th e runway to the w ing bar is such that the lowest he ight at wh ich a pilot of a large aircraft sees a co rrec t appro ac h signa l. w ill ensure a whee l c learance over the thresho ld sufficient to meet ICAO t o lerances. It follows that sma ller aircraf t using the system w ill have a w heel c learance at the t hreshold mu ch grea t er than ICAO tolerances.

The light unit s conta in two or three lamp s. each lam p being fitte d w ith appropr iate glasses and lenses to prod uce the req uired high int ens ity beam of light. the upper pa rt of whic h is w hit e and the lowe r red (Fig. 1 ).

The inn ermo st light unit is set at an arc ang le 30 minutes higher ve rt ical ly than the prom ulg at ed app roac h ang le. w ith each success ive oute r uni t set progressively 20 minutes of arc lower (Fig. 2).

Th e requ ired app roach pat h is def ined by the appeara nce of red

A

A simple . second generation visual approach aid designed to overcome some of the shortcomings of VASI. the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) will be introduced progressively at many New Zealand and overseas airports.

Overseas stud ies of approach and landing acc idents since the inc ept ion of the Red /W hite VAS I syst em some 20 years ago. show that on a signif icant numbe r of occas ion s the airc raft landed short of the run way after carrying out a satisfacto ry stabi lized approach down to vis ual t rans iti on.

These studi es. co upl ed w ith an inc reasing aware ness of low leve l w ind shea r. indicated a need for an approach syste m w hic h wo uld not on ly give more prec ise glide slope guid ance. but also rate of de viation infor mat ion and a more preci sely defi ned touchdown point.

Such a system . known as th e Prec ision Approach Path Ind ica t or. o r PAPI. has been develop ed by the Flight Syste ms departm ent of the Royal Aircraft Est ablishm ent (RA E).

Bedford. in the UK . The system has been endorse d by ICAO as an eventual rep lacement for VASIS / AVAS IS It wil l be prog ressive ly int roduced int o New Zealand over the next 1 0- 1 5 years. rep lac ing the existi ng Red/ White VAS IS insta llat ions at seco nd ary airpo rts Howeve r. T-VAS IS wil l rem ain the prefe rred system for turbo Jet opernt ion s The fir st insta llat ion of PAP I will be at the Chat ham Island s aerod rome, to be c omp leted in 1985 6

Red Filter Unit Horizontal Axis 0~--'f-F-----4-,(_ and checking Datumcr...>-+----

-

-~----

Lamp FIG. 1: Optical principle of PAPI

FIG. 2: Light beams and angle of elevation setting - 3° PAPI

WIN G/B AR

THR ESHOLD

lights on each of the two innermo st units. and white lights on each of the two outermost units. indicating to the pilot that the aircraft is w ithin ± 1O' arc of the correct glideslope . Should

the aircraft descend below the nominated glide path. additional red lights will be seen. Conversely. sho uld it climb above the glide path. additional white light s will be seen (Fig. 3).

FIG. 3 PAPI visual array as seen on approach: (Left) on correct slope (Inside lights red)

Advantages over VASIS Range The maximum range of any light source is a function of light intensity , meteorological conditions and ambient light levels. The angu lar differen ces between units and spacing of units are other factor s affecting the usable range of PAPI. Trial evaluation of light units in th e UK confirmed the maximum range for PAPI to be almost 10 km . whereas the maximum range in day light of most slot-type VAS ISs is typically 8 km. The minimum visua l range of the New Zealand installations will be at least 7 .4 km by day. co nsiderably higher by night .

A relationship of one meter later al sepa ration distance between light unit s for each kilometer range was estab lished during the tria l evaluation . with the best compromise between separation and light inten sity (the range limiting factor) resultin g in a nine meter spac ing . thu s giving a

theoretical daylight range of nine kilometers .

It was also show n that an angu lar differenc e of 20' arc between unit s wou ld provide accurate glide slope guidance down to a thr eshold crossing height of 50 ft. Lower differential ang les proved difficult to fly below about 300 ft. alth ough a differential of 30' arc was used down to 50 ft also.

PAPI was found useful for glide path angles sign ificantly steeper than 3 °. guidance being achieved by using wider differenti al settings between the units in order to fac ilitate approach slope capture and flyability .

Accuracy Since PAPI is sited adjacent to the touchdown point it w ill provide a more prec ise 'aiming point' than VASIS. wit h a co rrespo ndingly sma ller tou ch down 'footp rint ' area. At threshold cross ing height. th e PAPI ·on slope· signa i is much narrowe r ver·tically than VAS IS. During tr ials. thi s resulted in a

mean touchdown footprint distance of 600 ft . compared with the typically 1OOOft for VASI. Another interesting comparison is that whereas VASIS is not normall y used below 200 ft. PAPI permits full guidance until the threshold is reached. Such close-in guidance is a distinct advantage when low cloud or wind shear is present on late final approach.

Interpretation The more sharply defined signal s of PAPI enable a more positive interpretation of the glide slope and immediate corrections following any sub sequent deviations from it . With VASIS. the wing bar as a w hole w ill change co lor graduall y. wh erea s with PAPI the units change colour indi vid~~ ually and positively. giving immediate warning of a rapid deviation from the glideslope such as may occur in wind shear conditions. In simulator trials it was noticeable that rate information from PAPI provided a mo st effecti ve clue to wind shear onset.

A suitably briefed pilot needs no flight training to use the PAPI system as it has been shown in trials that the visual inform ation can be assimilated instincti vely. with the work load required to interpret sig nals being lower than for VAS IS. It was thought that the efficency of the system would suffer because lat eral information had to be translated into vertical reaction. but pilot evaluation of both laterally and longitudinally mounted PAPI systems showed a marked preference for the laterally based arrangement.

Benefits The benefits of PAPI. evident in both th e design and system evaluation stages . have been con firmed by pilots operationall y Reports stated that in add ition to giving warning of wind shear at low alt itude . PAPI had the added advantages of rate information and usability to very short range s M any pilots flew the system down to 50 ft.

Analy sis of these pilot report s showed th at 84 percent considered the PAPI system better than VASIS .

13 percent considered it was similar . and 30 percent preferred VAS IS. Summary Trials and experience with the PAPI system indicate it is superior to VAS IS in that : e It provides more inform at ion 011 aircraft position and bett er ·rate · informa tion . parti c ularly at low levels .

• It provides a more prec ise ·armi ng 7

point'. w ith impro ved accuracy.

It can be used until the th reshold is reached.

• Its sig nal s are more easil y interpreted.

• It is easier and cheaper to in stal l and maintain.

• It is adaptable for STOL and VTOL aircraft requi ring approach slope s greater than 3 ° .

Experiments ca rried out w ith a trial PA PI insta llation at Paraparaumu aerodrome have sho w n that the standard VAS IS light boxes presently in use in New Zealand have acceptab le sharpness of transi ti on of eac h light from red to w hite for PAPI application.

How ever, light boxes from the UK are being obtained for comparative purposes.

•

New FAA Administrator Donald D. Engen

Engen. a former aviati on consultant, manufact uring executive and ret ired navy vice admiral, has been a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) since June 19 8 2 .

Engen retired from the navy in 19 7 8 as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the UYS Atlantic Command and US Atlant ic Fleet.

During his 3 6-year navy career. Engen gained broad experience in aviation and marine safety. He flew th e navy·s first Jets. and has flown more than 200 models of aircraft. ranging from gliders and helicopters to four-engine jets . A fo rmer engineering test pilot in both the United States and the United Kingdom. he has 6.0 00 tota l flying hours and currently holds a commerc ial single and multi-engine land pilot' s license. an instru ment rating. and a commercial glider license.

Prior to his NTSB post. Engen was a senior associate w ith an analytical consulting firm and before that held various positions w ith Piper Aircraft Corporation.

8

Avemco Flying Safety Update 90:

Density Altitude: Living by the Numbers

When it comes to good, oldfas hioned hangar flying sessions, one subject that almost never seems to be discussed is density altitude. The rea son -t oo m any pilots simply do not know enough about the subject.

Yet. because of the inescapable influence density altitude has on aircraft and engine performance, it is c ritical for every pilot to understand its effects. Hot , high, and humid weathe r conditions can change a routine takeoff or landing into an accident in less time than it take s to tell about it.

There are three important factors th at affect air den sity: 1 . Altitude - The higher the altitude , th e less dense the air.

2 . Temper a ture- The warmer the air, the less den se it is.

3. HumidityHumidit y is not generally co nsidered a major factor in densi ty alt itude co mputation , because the effect of humidity is re lated to engine power, rather t han aerodynamic efficiency.

At high ambient temperature s, the at mo sp here ca n retain a high wate r vapo r con tent . For examp le. at 96 ° F, the wa t er vapo r content of the air can be eig ht tim es as great as at 42 ° F. High dens ity altitu de and high humidi ty. then. do not often go hand in-h and . However, if high humidity does exist. it still wo uld be w ise. the FAA has sa id , to ad d a 10 % safe ty m arg in to you r comp ute d takeoff di st ance and ant ic ip ate a redu ced rat e of c li mb Th e pilot' s operating hand book for the ai rc raft yo u fly w ill prov ide infor mation regard ing yo ur airc raft's perfo rmance under stan dard at m osphe ric co nditi o ns (59 ° F or 15°C. and 29 92 inc he s of me rcu ry). Conver sion c hart s are also provided t o conver t th e st andard -day performance to th ose c ond iti on s that ac tu ally exist at the time of the flight . It a pilot become s c omp lac ent abo ut airc raft perform anc e. or is c areless in using the se c hart s, the effe ct s of density altitu de may prov ide an unexpected eleme nt of suspense - and even danger - dur ing takeoff and c limb

The t akeoff and climb phase s have been identified as those mo st vulnerable to the effects of density alt itude.

Pilots should consider the fact that th eir aircr aft is less eff icient than the day it left the factory. The engine may have considerab le time; air filters may be dirty: ducts could be worn: and underinfl ated tires may also rob performance, to name just a few items to consider.

While the effects of density altitude are increa singly drama t ic at higher elevat ions. they are not confined to mountainous areas . They apply just as we ll at el.evations near sea leve l when temperatures go above standard 59 ° F (15 ° C). Takeoff di stanc e, available power (in normally aspirated engines), and c limb rate are all adverse ly affected by the effects of den sity altitude.

At power setting s of less than 75 % , or at den sity altitudes above 5,000 feet. it may be recommended th at normally asp irated engines be leaned for m aximum powe r on takeoff.

Turbo c harged engines. on th e other hand , do not ne ed to be leaned for takeoff in high density altitude co nditions, because they are capable of produ c ing manifold pressure equa l to or high er th an sea leve l pressure .

Consult your pilot's operating hand book for speci fi c recomme nd at io ns.

Wh en the t empe ratur es rise above st anda rd. the density of the air is reduced, but density alti tude increase s.

Thi s affects the airc raft' s ae rodyna mi c performance and decreases th e horsepowe r out put of t he engin e. It is not unlik ely fo r high summ ertim e temp erat ur es to raise th e appare nt altitud e of an airp ort by severa l th ou sand feet.

At airp o rts of high er eleva ti o ns. such as tho se in the we st ern Unit ed St ate s. high t emp erature s som etim es have suc h an eff ec t on de nsity alt itud e that safe operation s for m any airc raft are impossib le In such cond iti ons . ope rat ion s between m id-morning and mid -afternoon ca n be extremely hazardo us.

* * * * * * *

MARCONI S511'S'-BAND APPROACH CONTROL RADAR

2-beam antenna with lightweight carbon fibre reflector.

Simple magnetron transmitter has solid-state modulator .

3-channel adaptive processor sees small targets in heavy weather.

Three temporal threshold systems ensure very low constant false alarm rate.

Dual diversity system for failsoft operation.

Single channel range exceeds 65 miles on 2m2 target.

Associated ASTRID display system with comprehensive ATC data processing facilities.

For more information about Marconi S5 l l 'S' -band approach contro l radar please write, telephone or telex to: Marconi Radar Systems Limited , Writtle Road, Chelmsford, England CM! 3BN. Telephone 0245 267111.

Telex 99108.

Marconi

1

~arconi

Radar Systems

AWHOLENE

OFTHINKI

G.

Even at lower elevations. as noted earlier. aircraft performance can become marginal. and it may be necessary to reduce aircraft gross weight for safe operations. It is advisable. therefore. that when performance is in question. schedule your flight during the cooler hours of the day- generally early morning or late afternoon when temperatures aren't expected to rise much above normal. Late evening is sometimes a more desirable time for both departures and arrivals. when the effects of density altitude are generally less pronounced.

A pilot's first reference for computation of density altitude should be the pilot's operating handbook developed by the specific aircraft manufacturer.

If these performance references are not available. various commercially available altitude conversion charts such as the Koch chart or Dena It density altitude computer-may be used.

Like most potentially threatening aviation hazards. the effects of density altitude can be handled through pilot awareness of and respect for the phenomenon. How well you plan your flight at times of high density altitude could mean whether or not you fly. or. if you go. whether or not you'll get off the ground.

Aviation Safety Improves in 1983 NTSB figures indicate that most segments of US aviation posted lower accident rates in 1983 compared to 1982. with commuters recording the lowest accident rate that segment has ever achieved in the nine years that figures have been recorded. The Safety Board said that commuter carriers suffered 1 7 total accidents (two of them fatal) and 11 fatalities during 1983. compared to 27 total accidents (five of them fatal) and 14 fatalities in 1982. The rate of 0. 78 total accidents per 100.000 departures was 4 1 percent lower than the 1982 figure and represented the fifth straight year in which that index has declined. Except for a fractionally lower fatal-accident rate in 1979. general aviation recorded new lows in eve~ a~cident category in 1983.

While air taxis were involved in six percent more accidents in 1983 than in 1982. the number of fatal accidents dropped 6. 7 percent and the number of fatalities for that group declined 14.3 percent.

10

Visit to Tanzania

By E. Sermijn (Vice-President Professional IFATCA)

After a very long flight. I arrived at the Dar-es-Salaam International Airport on Saturday evening where I was met at the airplane by Mr. Steve Mworia. Chairman of TATCA (Tanzania Air Traffic Controllers¡ Association); Mr. Lot Mollel. Director General of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Board of Tanzania; Mr. H. Said. official of Air Tanzania Corporation and several members of the TATCA Executive Board. A small reception was organized in the VIP lounge at the airport which gave me the opportunity to receive a first briefing and to make acquaintance with the officials. I was then transferred to a hotel in the center of Dar-es-Salaam where an informal meeting was organized with TATCA officials and members. In between two safari beers. I was fully briefed on the program of the next days so that I could prepare myself properly.

Sunday was fully used to visit the old and new ATC facilities at the Dares-Salaam airport. I was very ably guided and briefed by Mr. Zuheri Ali. officer in charge of Air Navigation Services. who explained that before the East African Community broke up in 1977. all ATS services. except for APP and TWR. were provided by Kenya.

It meant that Tanzania was not prepared to take over in 1977 and. in fact. had to improvise to build up the necessary facilities in a very short time. I visited the actual ACC/ APP/ TWR and communication center and in fact. it can be said that they are the result of improvization and are certainly not the most inviting working premises. However. as a complete new center has been operating since early April. I think it would be a waste of time explaining the actual system. so let's have a look at the new facilities. The new ATC facilities are situated within a new building which also houses the meteorological and telecommunication services. On top of the building is the new tower with all associated equipment.

Radar Coverage The new IFR room caters for both APP and ACC and consists of 5 sec-

tors: 1 APP sector (30 NM radius). 1 TMA sector ( a transit sector in between APP and ACC and extending 70 NM from Dar-es-Salaam). an ACC W and E sector and a military coordination sector. Radar coverage will be provided by a new radar installation from Thompson/CSF. which is sited at the airport. The radar information provided to the sectors consists of combined primary + SSR. represented as _atrack symbol and a label giving call sign and mode C read-out. with ¡ the possibility to fall back upon raw radar.

Associated sector equipment. such as intercom and radio. are all up to the latest technological standards.

It was also a pleasure to see that great care had been taken as far as the ergonomical and environmental aspects of the working premises are concerned. although there seems to be a problem with reflection of ambient light on radar scopes.

After this visit. I was briefed on the division and status of airspaces: within the airways full ATC Service is provided although the status is advisory service. full ATC service is provided within the Dar-es-Salaam and Kilimanjaro TMAs a_ndall airport ~TRs. Outside these airspaces. FIS 1s provided by Dar-es-Salaam FIC. The officer-i_n-charge explained also that the maJor technical problem was the insufficient VHF coverage. In fact VHF_covera~e depends on many relay stations which are unreliable due to power failures and of course this problem will not be solved by the transfer to the new ATC-facilities.

The trip b~ck to the hotel gave me the opportunity to have a quick look at the new airport building which will be opened in July this year.

In the evening there was an informal meeting which gave me the opportunity to meet the TATCA members working at Dar-es-Salaam and discuss the social aspects of the ATC profession in Tanzania.

ATC Problems On Monday morning. I was received. accompanied by Mr. Steve Mworia. Chairman. and Mr. Jozeph Minja. Treasurer ofTATCA. by Mr. Lot

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11

Molle!. Director General of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Board of Tanzania. The discussions took place in a very open and pleasant atmosphere and the Director General listened with great interest to the many points I raised. I explained that I was very impressed by the new equipment and facilities which, together with the new airport building, will make Tanzania one of the leading aviation countries in Africa. However. one of the problems ATC is facing is the lack of controllers holding a valid radar license to man the new positions and therefore training is urgently required. Due consideration should also be given to the social aspects of the profession. since there is still need for its specific recognition and financial compensation. I explained that IFATCA is convinced that only this will be the solution to one of the major problems: the retention of qualified personnel.

The Director General said he was fully aware of this and confirmed that a dossier had been introduced to the government proposing special allowances for air traffic controllers.

In the afternoon. I called on the Deputy Minister of Communications and Transport, Mr. Limihagati. Again this meeting took place in a very constructive and lively spirit. The points raised by Steve Mworia and myself were the same as those which we had discussed with the Director General of Civil Aviation. but special emphasis was put on the problems of training and retention of air traffic controllers.

The Deputy Minister explained that in the long term. the problem of training will be solved by the installation of a UNDP sponsored ATC training school. which will be housed within the old Dar-es-Salaam airport terminal building. However. before this school can start operation. there will be an urgent need for radar controllers and the Deputy Minister expressed the hope that IFATCA would offer its assistance to find a solution. i.e. to find countries or organizations willing to sponsor the training of some air traffic controllers for Tanzania. I promised that the Executive Board would discuss the problem to took for possible avenues and I also explained the work the Federation is actually doing on training and provision of scholarships.

The Minister said he appreciated the interest IFATCA is taking in Tanzania and that the good relations between IFATCA and TATCA should be enhanced through such discussions. The Minister emphasized that the local air traffic controllers should endeavor to educate the public on their profession so that their predicaments are better understood.

12

Dinner On Monday evening, a dinner was offered by the Director General to the TATCA members and myself.

A speech by the Director General, emphasizing the good relationship between the Civil Aviation Directorate and the air traffic controllers began the evening. The Director General also spoke about the crucial role air traffic controllers play in the civil aviation industry and the importance of IFATCA as a professional organization. To conclude, he reconfirmed a warm welcome to me to Tanzania.

On behalf of the Federation. I thanked the Director General for the interest and hospitality and addressed the participants.

Kibo Peak On Tuesday morning, accompanied by Steve Mworia and Joe Minja, I took the early morning flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) where we were received at the airport by the Airport Manager Mr. Saliel Munisi. After breakfast. we visited the APP/TWR. Kilimanjaro International airport has one runway equipped with VOR and DME, NOB¡ and VASIS. Although there is a radar. it has been inoperative since 1 978. so all ATC is procedural.

The beautiful snow covered Kibo peak of the Kilimanjaro ( 1 9. 340 ft) necessitates short haul flights. such as Nairobi-Kilimanjaro to be operated at minimum FL 220.

After having visited the airport facilities, I was taken along to the new airport which is the biggest and most upto-date aircraft overhaul hangar in Central Africa.

Since the next flight back to Belgium was only on Saturday. the next days were used to visit the Arusha International Conference Center (AICC) and several hotels within the Arusha area.

Member Associations will remember that TATCA has offered to host the IFATCA 86 Conference and intends to confirm this at Estoril Conference.

Therefore my presence in Tanzania was a good opportunity to check conference and hotel facilities as well as to verify the means of transport to Arusha. A separate report on these items has been provided to the Executive Board.

On Friday afternoon. a meeting was held with the TATCA Executive Board and members working at Kilimanjaro. I briefed them on my visit to the ATC facilities and on the meetings with the Director General of Civil Aviation and the Deputy Minister of Communications and Transport. Several questions were asked in relation

to the operation of IFATCA and its concern for the developing countries.

This meeting was very well attended and actually every off-duty controller was present and actively involved in the discussion.

Saturday morning, a courtesy visit was made to the Lord Mayor of Arusha who extended a very warm 'karibu' (welcome) to all IFATCA participants of the planned IFATCA '86 Conference and ensured me that TATCA will have full support from the City Council of Arusha. At 10 am a press conference took place with all newspapers and the radio represented. The Chairman of TATCA. Steve Mworia, and myself explained the operation of IFATCA and its achievements, and then _briefed the press on my impressions on this visit to Tanzania. This was followed by a one-hour questionand-answer session.

After the press conference we had a debriefing session with the TATCA o~icials. and, after a last beer of fnendsh1p, I headed to the airport to board _the plane back to Belgium.

I think I n:ay say th~t thi~ "'."asa very successful vIsIt and this opinion is fully end<:>rsed by TATCA. I was well receive~ and th~ authorities showed great interest_ in the activities of IFATC_A.and its Tanzanian member assocIatIon. TATCA itself is a well orQani~ed bC?dYwhich. due to the motIvatIon of its Executive Board and the active involvement of its members can look towards a bright future. Th~ relation~hip_ between controllers and authont1es Is excellent which can be ~n?erstood if one knows that the ma1ont~ of ~anagement people. up to and incl~ding t~e director general, are former air traffic controllers.

To end this report. let me say ¡aksante sana Tanzania' (thank you very much) for the ?ourtesy and hospitality I had the privilege to enjoy. This coupled to th_e cooperation at all levels, made this visit a successful and pleasant one. Special words of thanks should go to Mr. Steve Mworia C~a!rman of TATCA and Mr. Jozeph MinJa. who accompanied me during the week and all other TATCA Executive Board members and controllers for the kindness with which everybody looked after me.

~we've Come a Long Way, Baby' Regulations for Operation of Aircraft-

commencing January 7920

1 . Don't take the machine into the air unless you are satisfied it will fly .

2. Never leave the ground with the motor leaking .

3. Don't turn sharply when taxiing.

Instead of turning sharp, have someone lift the tail around.

4 . In taking off , look at the ground and the air.

5. Never get out of a machine with the motor running until the pilot relieving you can reach the engine controls.

6. Pilots should carry hankies in a handy position to wipe off goggles .

14. Do not trust altitude instruments .

15 . Before you begin a landing glide, see that no machines are under you .

16 . Hedge-hopping will not be tolerated .

1 7 . No spins on back or tail slides will be indulged in as they unnecessarily strain the machines.

18 . If flying against the wind and you wish to fly with the wind, don 't make a sharp turn near the ground. You may crash.

1 9 . Motors have been known to stop during a long glide. If pilot wishes to use motor for landing, he should open throttle.

7. Riding on the steps, wings or tail of a machine is prohibited.

8. In case the engine fails on takeoff , land st raig ht ahead regardle ss of obstacles.

9. No mac hine must taxi faster than a man can walk .

10. Never run motor so that blast will blow on other machine s.

11 . Learn to gauge altitud e, especially on landing.

12 . If you see another machine near you , get out of the way.

13. No two cadets shoul d ever ride together in the same machine

20. Don't att empt to force machine onto ground with more than flying speed. The result is bouncing and ricoc heting .

21 . Pilots w ill not wea r spurs while flying.

22. Do not use aeronautical gasoline in cars or motorcycles.

23. You mu st not take off or land c loser than 50 feet to the hangar.

24. Never take a machine into the air until yo u are familiar with its co ntrols and instr uments.

25. If an emergency occu rs wh ile flying , land as soon as possib le.

1 984 Prospects 'Much Brighter' The General Aviation Manufacturers Assoc iation annual forecast for 1984 predicts that US manufacturers wi ll enjoy a better year in 1984 because of the general economic recovery, increased corporate profits and spending plans, and the introdu ct ion of new-technology general aviation products. Specificall y, the Washington , DC-based trade group forecasts that the industry will deliver 3,245 aircraft in 1 984, 21 percent more than we re delivered in 1983 . GAMA also predicts that factory billings will reach $1. 7 billion , 1 6 percent higher than last year's figure. By category, GAMA estimates that 1 70 bu siness jets , 3 7 5 turboprop s, 500 piston tw ins and 2,200 singles wi ll be delivered this year.

Turboprops in Flight Test Currently , 11 single engine turboprops are being flight tested and are scheduled to be FAA certificated over the next 18 month s. In addition to the Beec h Lightnin g and th e Cessna Caravan I, the other aircraft include the Advanced Aircraft Corporation (Carlsbad , California ) Turbine P210 ; Airmaster (Kent. Wa shington ) A valon (amphibious pusher) ; Comp osite Ai rcraft (Florence . Kentucky) Eagle II (a modification of the Wind ecker Eag le); Hawk Indu str ies (Yucca Va lley. California) Gafhawk 125 ; Old Ma n¡s Air craft Comp any (Reno) OMA C I (canard-equipped pusher) ; M ike Smith Aer o (Johnson. Kansas) Prop Jet; Prop-Jet s (San Antonio) Interceptor 400A; Sol oy Conversions (Chehalis, W ashingt on) Tur b ine 206; and Spectr um Aircr aft (Van Nuy s, California) Spectr um I (a sing le engine turboprop pusher conversion of the Cessna 337) .

Third IBIS Analysis Completed The ICAO Bird Strike Information System (IB IS) has comp leted its th ird year. An analysis of 3 . 1 59 strike s oc curring in 94 State s during 1 982 has been sent to Member States 13

FAA's New Terminal Radar, the ASR-9 Incorporates a Separate Weather Channel (As presented at IFATCA '84) Carmine Primeggia , ASR-9 Program Manager, Fede ral Aviation Administration , Washington , DC Calvert Phillips, A TC Advanced Program Manager , Westinghouse Electric Corporation , Baltimore, Maryland

Introduction The ASR-9 is the latest in a family of Airport Surveillance Radars being procured by the Federal Aviation Administration and is to be produced by t he Westinghouse Electri c Corporation. The AS R-9 wi ll incorporate the very latest in technology to provide outstanding performance, availability, reliabi lity , and ease of maintainability. It also incorporates a numb er of features not found in existing terminal radar systems: one of w hich is a separate weather channel as described in this technical note. Figu re 1 is a block diagram of the weather channel incorpor ated in the ASR-9 system.

The collection, processing, and distribution of weather information to pilots, reports, and air t raff ic contro llers is essential to the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in any air traffic contro l system .

Weather info rm ation is derived from m any sources such as weathe r sate llit es.

14

wea ther radar. etc .. and the FAA is formulating a National Airspace System (NAS) Aviation Weather Plan to provide real-time w eather information to all users through the extensive use of automation and high- speed communicatio ns . A next generation of weather radar (N EXRAD) is under development which wi ll provide weather turbulence information and w ind shear in the terminal area to further enhance the system. The weathe r channel of the ASR-9 will be another input to the ove rall system. It provides a six-leve l calibrated digital output corresponding to the standard National Weather Service (NWS) va lu es obtained from weather radars for transmis sion v ia telephone lin es to the NAS syste m . It also incorporates a unit to convert the digital weathe r data to analog information for direct viewing on the controller 's di spl ay at the remote indicator site (TRACON). as de sc ribed late r in more detail. Th e ASR -9 is the first termin al radar to

provide the co ntr o ller with essentially realtime. ground clutter-free display of calibrated weather levels for enhanced safety in the terminal ATC system.

The Need for a Separate Weather Channel The ASR -9 is designed to opt imiz e the detection and display of aircraft in the terminal area. especial ly low flying aircraft over heavy ground clutter and within the same radar cell as strong weather returns.

It is also des igned to provide the controller with a display free of unwanted returns such as ground c lutter , weather clutter, bird s. road traffi c. etc.

While weather information can be obtained from the normal or target receiver as is done with many existing radars. feature s such as Circular Polarizat ion (CP), Moving Target Detection (MTD), Sensi tivity Time Control (STC), Constant False A larm Rate (CFAR). and other sophisti-

LOWERBEAM

UPPERBEAM

erate at the same frequency or may be at different frequencies. Should they be at different frequencies. the weather channel will automatically operate at the frequency of the channel radiating into the antenna. as shown in figure 1.

The RF/ IF portion of the weather channel through the A/ D converters is essentially the same as for the normal target channels. Weather returns 'fill' the azimuth beam of the antenna and thus their amplitude varies as the square power of range while the amplitude of point target returns varies as the fourth power of range. Consequently. the Sensitivity Time Control (STC) in the weather channel is set to vary as 1 / R2 while the target channel is set to vary as 1 /R 4 .

TARGETCHANNEL8 UPPER BEAM

TARGETCHANNEL8 LOWERBEAM

ROTARY

JOINT WAVEGUIDE

wxc,.

LEVELS 1 6

PHASE DETECTOR

A

B

A/0 O

CONVf ATER

TO NX PROc.:ESSOR

COHO COMO

STALO

A

8

Figure 1. RF/IF weather receiver simplified block diagram

~ated signal processing make it virtually impossible to obtain precise calibrated le~els of weather from the radar target re~eIver channel. Further. the weather information for presentation on the controller· s display must be free of ground clutter to be useful and at the same time must be optimized for the detection of weather over ground clutter. Consequently. the ASR-9 incorporates a separate _receiver weather channel specifically designed to provide calibrated levels of weather_to the controller with the optimum ehm1nat1onof ground clutter. Six levels of we~ther corresponding to the standard National Weather Service (NWS) as obtained from weather radars (the WSR57. for example) are generated as digital messages for transmission over modems via telephone lines for remote transmission. This information is converted to analog information for an essentially realtime display of the weather at the local ATC display facility. such as the ARTS IIA/ IIIA systems.

Implementation of Weather Channel The receive-only weather channel for the ASR-9 is implemented completely independent of the target channels although there is a great deal of hardware commonality. There are two target channels. both transmit and receive. as is typical with most ATC radars. Only a single receiveonly weather channel is supplied. since it Is considered an auxiliary function. Should the weather channel fail. weather information is supplied from the target receiver channel as a backup feature. However. the weather information from the target channel is only classified as a high and low level of weather since calibration is more difficult using the target channel. particularly when operating with circular polarization.

Circular polarization is employed by ex-

isting surveillance radar antenna systems to reduce the amplitude of weather returns before they enter the receiver system. Circular polarization also enhances the detection of aircraft within the same radar cell as weather. i.e .. the aircraft need not be within the weather but could be over the weather to have a loss of detectability due to the weather. Figure 2 shows a test aircraft in a weather storm and figure 3 shows how the ASR-9 would detect the aircraft. with minimum loss in target detectability.

Circular polarization is the primary cause of the inability of the radar target channel to provide calibrated levels of weather. In operation. the weather returns at the receive side of the antenna polarizer are converted to an orthogonal (90 °) from that normally received when the antenna is operating with linear polarizations. This is due to the spherical characteristic of the rain drops. The orthogonal polarization from the weather is normally rejected by the waveguide following the polarizer. By incorporating a ·magic-tee· adapter in the output of the polarizer. the normally rejected weather information can be recovered and this is the technique used with the ASR-9 weather channel. A separate rotary joint and waveguide run connects the output of the orthogonal magic-tee port to the RF front-end of the weather channel located in the radar shelter. Orthogonal ports are supplied for both the upper and lower beams of the antenna. An RF switch moves between the upper and lower beam ports at predetermined ranges and azimuths by a Range and Azimuth Gate (RAG) as is done with the target channels to minimize the reception of short-range ground clutter.

The ASR-9 incorporates two completely independent radar channels for target reception. These channels may op-

The weather channel receives ground clutter returns as does the normal target channel. The ground clutter returns must be eliminated in the output of the weather channel since such returns would · clutter' the controller's display. an unacceptable condition. Doppler filtering is employed in the ASR-9 weather channel to eliminate the ground clutter returns. Doppler filtering in the target channel is designed to optimize the detection of aircraft when the aircraft are in the same radar cell as the clutter. both ground and weather clutter.

The Doppler filtering in the weather channel is optimized to detect the weather. especially when the weather is in the same radar cell as ground clutter. The Doppler filtering for the target channel is not optimum for the weather channel and thus the weather channel has its own special Doppler processor. The ASR-9 has four Doppler filters as shown in figure 4. The main difference between the four filters is the degree of their clutter rejection. One of the four filters covers all velocities. The digital information developed by the 1 2-bit A/ D converters. including their noise setting. can handle weather returns (e.g .. ground clutter) to a level of 5 7 dB above peak noise without saturating. This dynamic range plus the STC function and the upper/ lower beam gating is expected to handle the vast majority of weather returns.

Optimum Doppler filtering for weather clutter over ground clutter is a function of the strength of the ground clutter. A coarse fixed ground clutter map containing the stored group clutter amplitude for a clear day is used to select the optimum weather filter in a 1.0 nmix 1 .4 degree increments as shown in figure 4. The filter containing all velocities is used in the clear. i.e .. nonclutter regions. The site-dependent stored map can be stored in a relatively short time period on a clear weather day. Fixed censoring is also provided to remove ground clutter returns when the amplitude of the clutter exceeds the capability of the filters and dynamic range of the system which could occur In some mountainous areas. The censoring will not affect the coverage to any appreciable extent and will not be noticed by the controller and will prevent ·clutter breakthrough' from appearing on this display.

The ASR-9 weather channel Is designed to transmit digital weather information

Changi International, Singapore , is equipped with some of the worlds most advanced installations.

Many supplied by Philips: outdoor and secu rity lighting covering 53 parking aprons and approach routes; publi c address, with 7,500 speakers; high -d efin ition ASD E for safety and security on the ground; and a con1puterised ATC , including long-range radar and display systems which can process 300 flight plans simultaneously.

Our advanced ATC systems are in ope rati on in many countries ,

including Saudi Arabia , Great Britain , Paraguay; Portugal and the Nether lands.

But th ere is more to flying than Air Traffic Con tro l. Fro111checkin to arrival, Philips aviati on systems play th eir vital roles around the world's air routes.

Speeding up boarding procedures: our Dynavision 500 X-ray baggage inspection uses digital imaging technology to reveal 1nore and reveal it faster (1).

In the air, flight-crews steer by Philips VOR/DME systems,

while air-to-ground conversations are recorded on Philips voice logging systems (2).

Mean while ,vital information is rushing through AEROPP data switching and handling networks(3).

During aircraft descent , Philips ILS Instrument Landing Syste1ns produce precise paths for pilots (4).

Finally, the safety of all traffic on the airfield is enhanced by our ASDE Airport Surf ace Detection Equipment. And by our lighting.

Not only with pennanent instal-

lations , but also with portable and transportabl e lighting systems ; these can be employed for civil and defence applications on temporary or emergency airfields and heliport s (5).

For 1nore information about Philips expertise in aviation, write to the Philips organization in your country or to Philips , VOA-0217 /TC3 ,Eindh oven, the Nether lands.

Philips. The sure sign of expertise world -wide .

PHILIPS

to the remote ATC display facility over modems in a digital format via telephone lines. Five thresholds are set to generate six weather levels shown in figure 5 corresponding to the standard National Weather Service values.

The ¡raw¡ weather output may contain a very large number of threshold crossings when there is a great deal of weather within the coverage of the radar (the ASR9 has approximately 30 720 resolution cells) in a single antenna scan. It is not feasible to transmit this large amount of data via a telephone line. Fortunately, the weather amplitude does not change appreciably scan-to-scan so that the weather may be stored and smoothed on a scan-toscan basis over a period of six scans (a scan period is a nominal 4.8 seconds).

Smoothing is three scans for threshold 1 and three scans for the other thresholds together. The smoothed weather data is read-out in 2 .4 antenna scans over a dedicated modem link at 9600 bits/ second to the indicator site.

At the remote indicator site (ATC facility) the weather data is transferred to a Surveillance and Communication Interface Processor (SCIP) which is part of the ASR-9 equipment. The SCIP converts the weather messages such that the weather is displayed to the controller display.

Normally when no weather is present, the ASR-g operates with linear polarization. As low level weather enters the coverage of the radar. the CFAR circuitry of the radar eliminates the weather from the controller's display. and thus he has no knowledge that weather is present or that the radar should be switched to circular polarization. To eliminate this problem, circuitry is provided ahead of the CFAR processing which automatically switches the radar to circular polarization when the number of weather threshold crossings are above a predetermined number. When automatic selection of circular polarization is made, an alarm is given on the system control panel at the indicator site. Manual over-ride of this automatic function is provided and is maintenance selectable.

Display of Weather Information The ASR-9 is designed to interface with automatic data processing/ display systems; for example. the ARTS IIA/ IIIA systems. These systems do not have the software capability to display digital weather contours at this time although it is planned to add this feature in the future which would utilize the digital weather output of the ASR-9. In the interim. the SCIP will convert the digital weather information to analog information for display.

Experimentation has shown that it is not feasible nor desirable to present more than two levels of weather on the controller's display. Weather level select control boxes are supplied with the ASR-9. one for each position. which allows each controller to select any two of the six calibrated levels of weather. Alternately. he may select what is formed summation weather.

Summation weather will display all the weather levels above the selected low level and including the selected low level until reaching the selected high level. All the

18

weather levels above the selected high level and including the selected high level will be displayed as high level weather. An indication of the weather being displayed as low and high level will be provided.

The weather is displayed as a 'brightened' area for the low level weather selected and a brighter area for the higher

level selected. a fairly conventional means of displaying weather for an analog system. It is emphasized. however. that the system is very versatile and can be adapted to any type of display system. Figure 6 illustrates how the analog weather may be displayed.

Combatting the Air Safety Threat Posed by Controller Drug Abuse

By Susan G. Thanepohn Air traffic control is a profession that requires precise. clear minds and split second decisions. Any disruption of these qualities could be unfortunate for the individual controller and deadly for his or her air traffic. An inappropriate action on the part of just one controller which would result in an air disaster would reflect badly on the entire profession. If there is a problem that has the potential to reflect adversely on the profession. it only seems prudent and appropriate to eliminate that problem before the fact.

The problem that I cite is that of drug usage by air traffi<? con~rol pe_rsonnel. While undergoing air traffic control training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City I witnessed an alarming amount of drug usage by fellow trainees. many of whom passed the training program and are now controlling traffic at various facilities throughout the United States. Since leaving the academy I have spoken with many former trainees and past and present controllers and found that this problem is not isolated to any particular facility or period in time. (See 2 7 May 1983 issue of 'The Wall Street Journal'.)

The fact is that drug usage by controllers has gone on for years and in all likelihood will continue to do so until an appropriate method of drug detection and deterrance is established.

Until now, the FAA has relied on 'the close monitoring of supervisors¡ to detect drug use problems.

Drug usage is not necessarily always characterized by overt, readily recognizable behavior- its effects can be much more subtle. Such subtle, unrecognizable effects that could be overlooked by human observation could be the cause of a lapse in concentration that could result in a major air disaster. Such a disaster would affect much more than the individual controller involved and his or her fa-

cility; it would reflect adversely on the entire profession.

While drug screening through blood tests or urine analysis might be somewhat of an annoyance and inconvenience to controllers (the majority of whom are not drug users) it is the ultimate welfare of the flying public that must be the foremost consideration. Presently the most accurate method available to eliminate the threat posed to air safety by drug usage of controllers is blood or urine screening. After all. air safety (or 'the safe. orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic') is what the air traffic control profession is all about.

Drug abuse is an international problem. It knows no national. professional. or socio-economic boundaries. For that reason. I strongly believe that mandatory. random sweep drug screening of controllers at all worldwide facilities is urgently needed. Such screening will serve to protect the flying public as well as to protect the air traffic control profession from the consequences of an air disaster brought on by a drug impaired controller.

I would like to solicit reader feedback on this issue. I am interested in knowing of drug-related incidents that may have occurred at various facilities and. more importantly. how they were handled. What are the methods of drug detection that are currently being relied upon? Do you recognize the threat posed to air safety by drug impaired controllers? And, most important, what are your feelings in regard to the issue of drug screening of air traffic control personnel?

Please direct replies to: S. G. Thanepohn 608 Heustis Street Yorkville, Illinois 60560 USA

Nevvsbriefs

pan, the USSR and the United States. Conclusions are expected in 1 987. Application of the minimum navigation performance specifications (MN PS) concept in conti nenta I airspace also was considered.

Dangerous Goods Panel Meets The Dangerous Goods Panel held its 8th Meeting in Montreal 9-24 February . The Panel has developed the 1985 Edition of the /CAO Technical Instructions for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air . The /CAO dangerous goods regulations under Annex 1 8 became applicable on 1 January 1984.

Aviation Security: Training Aids Developed /CAO has adapted a four-part tape and slide training program, originally developed by Canada, for international use. It complements the !CAO Security Manual (Doc 8973/2) and the training guidelines for Course 123 , Aviation Security (AVSEC). published by the Technical Assistance Bureau .

Aerial Work Manual Available Mid-year The first edition of the Manual on Aerial Work (Doc 9408) has been completed. The Manual , which covers the technical and operational aspects of aerial work, as well as safety and handling technique s. is for the use and guidance of States and is now available.

PELT/ 2 Works on Crew Licensing The 2nd Meeting of the Personnel Licensing and Training Panel was held last November in Montreal . As a result, the Panel began drafting proposals for changes in flight-crew licens ing requirements . Propo sals should be ready for review by the Air Navigation Commission in late 1985 .

Airspace Structure Changes Proposed As a result of the 2nd Meeting of the Visual Flight Rules Operations Panel (VFOP / 2) held in mid-1983 . proposals for a new airspace structure and the types of air traffic service in each have been developed . States and internation al organizations have been advised of the VFOP's tentative conclusions and the direction it is proceeding.

AFI SG Reaches Conclusion Study Group for the Safety of IFR Flights Outside Controlled Airspace in Africa met last November. Using a simulation study prepared by the Research Centre of Tran sport Canada, the group conc lud ed that a change in the axis of the sem i-cir cu lar rule would not be appropriate.

It recommended extensive amendment of ATS route network in Central Africa.

ATSPM Nearing Publication The first Air Traff ic Service s Planning Manual. a provi sional ed ition . has been comp let ed and is expected t o be distributed during 1984 . The ATSPM was prepared at th e reque st of the Air Navigation Commiss ion and co nsist s of five pa rts.

RGCSP Considers Separation Change A meeting of the Review of th e Gener al Concept of Separation Panel has reviewed progr ess on th e feasibilit y of 300-meter ( 1.000 -ft) vertica l separation above FL 290 .

Pilot tria ls have taken place and a major data co llection wi l! soon start Feasibility studi es are under way in Europ e. Ja-

The combination Mobile Tester SMFP 2 (top. with D uplex De viation Meter SMFPB 4 7) and Radiocode Test Set SCUD (center) is ideal for the operation (call setup) and the required measurements on transceivers of modern mobile radio network s.

Photo. Rohde & Schwarz

Million-pound Zimbabwe Contract for Cossor Falconer Radar System Cossor Electron ics has sup pli ed a Cossor Falconer pre cision approa c h rad ar system for the A ir Force of Zimbabw e¡ s Thornhill Base. under a co ntra ct wo rth in exces s of one mi llio n pound s. The system comp rises radar head equipment, inc luding azimuth/ elevation antennas in stal led in a ca bin adj acent to the runway. and two operational disp lays and a remote control unit in the ATC operation s room. The co ntr act also includes comp rehensive supp ort acti viti es for install at ion . comm issioning . training and spare parts.

The system has successfully undergone flight trials and was forma lly handed over to the customer in M ay. just seve n month s after receipt of the notification of the o rder In Zimb abwe . the Cossor Falconer . which provide s a syst em for runway approach and land ing gu idan ce in all weather co nditio ns. wil l repla ce an earlier SLA -3 B precisio n approac h radar.

The Cossor Falconer is already being supplied to the Roya l A ir Force as an SLA -3C repla c ement for all RAF air fields in t he UK. Gibr altar. Cypru s and German y 19

AOPA Calls for Immediate Halt to FSS Consolidation Plans

ICAO Considering New Standards for Long Range Twin-jet Operations

Charging that the Federal Aviation Administration is 'viICAO is review ing proposals for new safety standards olating the public trust'. AO PA president John L. Baker has and comprehensive guidance material cove ring t he con called on the agency to 'im mediately and wi th o ut hesiduct of lon g range operations by twin -j et transport aero tation · suspend its Flight Service Station (FFS) consol i- planes . If adopted, the new safety standard s cou ld permit dation plans until a new administrator has time to thoroughly review and evaluate the agency· s current direction on FSS conso lidation. Baker's ca ll for act ion came during a speech to pilots in Shre veport, Louisiana, after learning that a new Automated Flight Ser vice Station (AFSS ) building in DeRitter, Louisiana. had already been contracted and that construction was sched uled to begin soon.

'Allowing (read misleading) the good peop le of De Ritter to get this far along on a new facility which FAA wo uld lease for a mere $ 1 per yea r after Congress halted FAA' s FSS consolidation program is unethical and vio lates the int ent of the Congressional mandate.· said Baker, whose organ 1zatIon Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AO PA) represents more than 265,000 general av iation pi lots nat ionwi de .

FAA wants to close 6 Flight Service Stations in Louisiana and fo ld them into one ·s uper ' st at ion at De Ritter. FSSs on the Louisiana 'hit list' are located in Shrevethe ope rat ion of such twin-engine aircraft on most of the port. Monroe , Ale xandria. Lake Charles , Lafayette, and world's air routes, inc ludin g t he North Atl antic.

New Orleans . In his remarks, Baker noted that Louisiana The cur rent so-ca lled ' 90-minute rule' . developed by Congressmen Henson Moor, Bob Livingston, and Mrs. ICAO mo re than 30 yea rs ago for piston-engine aeroLindy Boggs were instrumental in blocking the agency's illplanes, has limit ed the operation of tw ins to route s whe re advised consolidation plans and app lauded t hei r eff orts. th e aerop lane is never mor e th an 90 minutes flying time at but recommended that because of the inexcusable DeR1ta speed eq uivalent to th at with all engines ope rating, or te r situation. the time has come for Louisiana pilots to once 1 20 minutes at sin gle-engine speed, from an aerodrome again call on their elected representatives for action. suitab le for landing.

Nationally, 250 Flight Service Stations are slated for In the past, this rule has not been serious ly c hallenged c losure . but on two sepa rate occasions Congress roadby tw in-engine ope rators due to t he limit ed range of such blo~ked the agency· s plans. aerop lanes. Howeve r. with_ the new generation of long Becau se of the overwhelming concern over FSS range twins, such as the Ai rbus lnd ustr ie A-31 O and the closu res expressed by pilots , FSS special ists and Congress, Boeing 7 6 7 , capable of flying on the long range routes now It seems reasonab le to expect FAA to. at least in good faith . served by three- and four-eng ine aerop lanes, the ICAO gu ide lin es have come und er increased scr utin y suspe nd the awarding of const ruction contracts until a fina l Th e proposed new regulations have been developed as ?e_c1s1onis made.· said the AO PA president who ad ded, it s as if an arm of the federa l government directly the resu lt of a study carried out over the past two years by the ICAO Secretariat w it h the assistance of expe rt s from acco untable to the American people simp ly doesn't care leading transport aeroplane manufacturing states , the enw hat the people or their elected representa ti ves tel l them -· gine and airframe manufacturing industry, the air lines and It also was learned that a new AFSS facility in Conroe. th e airline pilot comm unit y. The proposed regulation s now Texas. already was under cons tru ct ion. lead ing the AO PA under cons ideration _cover spec ific requirement s for engine president to remark 'the FAA is p laying a game of c hance reliabi lity. spec ial airworthiness req uirements and operatWith taxpayers· money and when the roof caves in on the ing procedures - al l of whic h a_ re aimed at maintaining a agency· s plans. the losers will be those un suspecting high leve l of safety and regula rity operations com munitie s who w ill be stuck with a multi-million dollar The ICAO A ir Nav1gat1on Comm1ss1on is expected to facility , no federa l tenants. and all the financial liab ility .· co nsider the proposed new regulations in the near future .

During his comments t o Shreveport pi lots. Baker reSubject to favorab le consideration by the Commission, the ~ff irmed his association's support for FAA' s FSS proposed regulations would be circ ulated to the 1 52 modernization· which is the part of the program designed Member States of ICAO for comme nt and, in th e light of to .upgr ade FSS information and communications capathese comments. they co uld be submitted to the ICAO bilities with state-of -the -art computer equipment Counci l for final act ion by late 1 984. . Shreveport, Lou isiana. was the first stop in a four -day Th e proposed changes are of particu lar interest to the six-city southwe st tour . during which the AOPA president add ressed loca l pilots and AOPA members and met with industry due to the potentially lower operating costs and st ate officia ls and state aeronautic s directors in three states improved profitability of th e new large twins on some - Louisiana. Arkansas . and Texas routes They may also influence the design of future trans port aeropl anes .

m

20

The Logic Analysis System (LAS) solves measuring tasks in the development, testing and in-service moni toring of digital and hybrid systems.

The high intelligence of the LAS based on modern 76-bit technology sets new standards for processing and displaying the results of analysis.

Photo : Rohde & Sch warz

Philips Launches New Integrated Information Management Aid - EBX-SDV a Simultaneous Data and Voice Switch In line with its '3-cornerstone' approach to integrated information management, Philips announces EBX-SDV. Derived from the well established EBX range, EBX-S DV is a

Emergency Measures Planned for Heliports Amendment of Anne x 14 -Aerodromes, for rescue and fire f ig hting services and equipment at heliports, is being prepared for the Air Navigation Commission. Proposals are related to both surface level and elevated heliports.

Annex 10 Amended , New Manual Prepared Amendment 64 to Annex 10 - Aeronautical Telecommunications , became applicable on 7 June 1984. It introduces new and revised radiotelephony phraseologies and procedures for use in the Aeronautical Mobile Service.

In add ition , a new Manual of Radiote lephony incorporating these RTFphraseologies and procedures will be available in April. Material in the new ICAO Manual is suitable for both ab initio and experienced pilot train ing.

CSP 1250 Ionospheric Simulator The CSP 1 250 Ionospheric Simulator is a new produc t which can be programmed to produce a wide range of ionospheric conditions in the testing of HF base-band communications equipment .

It is a compact unit wh ich can eith er be rack mounted or used as a desk top unit. It allows the user to co ntrol all the major ionospheric parameters and enables set sequences t o be ca lled up and accurate ly repeated at any time . vo ice-switch (usually termed Private Automatic Bran c h Exchange. PABX, by the more traditionall y minded) th at is equa lly at home switching data What' s new about EBXSDV is that it can switch voice and data traffic at the same time .

Philips c laims the simultaneou s dat a-voice approach is the mo st cost-effective when compared wi th competitive approac hes. Using EBX-S DV. data and voice commu nication are possible over the same wire pair , simult aneo usly .

Hence business contacts are always reac hable by phone. even during a file transfer , and no second phone lin e is needed And w ith the c lear trend toward s more termina ls with built -in intelligence. co rrespond ingly less time wi ll be spe nt in future comm uni cating with a data base. Hence, dedicated data sw itches and wi ring will become under utili zed .

21

The Automatic SSR Taxiway Test Facility A Technical Paper submitted at IFATCA '84 by Cassar Electronics Ltd and presented by David J Brocklebank, Export Sales ATC/I FF Systems

4. A further important element is the radiated power of the transponder.

ICAO Annex 10 states that the minimum output level should be 2 1 dBW. BITE may give a seNiceable indication to the cockpit but attenuation within the aircraft can reduce the effective radiated power to well below the required level for effective operation, which may only become apparent at extended ranges.

5. The Requirement

The Beginning The concept of an automatic transponder test facility was first put forward in 79 78 when the UK NA TS were concerned about the possible unsatisfactory levels of transponder serviceability. Whilst modern transponders incorporate Built-in Test Equipment (BITE) and larger aircraft are often fitted with dual transponders it was felt that a higher confidence level of SSR pre-flight checks could be achieved. In conjunction with the Ministry of Defence, the National Air Traffic Services invited Cassar Electronics to conduct a series of trials to investigate and report on the feasibility of an automatic taxiway test facility that would successfully determine transponder performance immediately before take-off.

2. Basic Principles The basic principle of the ground interrogator pair of RF pulses at the mode interval which are

SSR is that transmits a appropriate received at

the aircraft SSR antenna and passed by low loss feeder cable to the transponder. Recognition of the mode of interrogation determines the transponder coded reply, to provide identity and height information.

3. Methods of SSR Test There are currently a number of methods of testing an aircraft's transponder Briefly these are: 3.1 Firstly BITE. which is well defined and conducted. but it is restricted to the transponder only and does not test the antenna or co-axial feeder system.

3.2 Ramp Test and Bench Test Equipment is in current use by airlines and operators alike.

Whilst these sets provide a valuable means of testing the transponder itself. the radiated method of ramp testing can at best provide only a limited level of confidence to the engineer of overall system performance.

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6. System Objectives As a starting point the early tests were required to assess the following major transponder functions of taxiing aircraft: ~odes A and C reply integrity.

11.S1delobe Suppression capability. iii. Radiated transponder power output. in terms of both minimum specified radiated power and actual power

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7. System Configuration (see figs. 7 and 2) The system comprises a Cassar CRM 54~ Transponder Ramp Test Set. an e1g~t lamp visual display unit and ~ross site cables. The display unit consists of 8 lamps arranged in two rows. 4 amber lamps on the top row and 4 green lamps on the bottom row.

The amber lamps are assigned to the individual function tests and the bottom row displays the power signature.

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It was therefore considered that a more effective method of evaluating pre-flight overall transponder performance was required. Taxiway testing enables essential parameters to be monitored without impeding the aircraft's progress.

In determining the optimum site for the facility several factors were taken into account. These were: 8.1 Location of aircraft SSR antenna - generally on the centerline of the aircraft on the underside of the fuselage.

8.2 Test Antenna Characteristics - a very simple corner reflector of known performance is employed.

Optimum height for the antenna was determined from study of ground field strength patterns.

Range was assessed at approximately 50 m.

8.3 Flight safety and objects within the runway strip.

Optimum location was defined as 50 m from the taxiway centerline and having an antenna height of approximately 1 m.

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9. System Operation The facility may be activated in a number of ways: 1. acoustic devices 11. pressure pad 111. infra red beam IV. R/T v. manual or vi. continuous interrogation/ range limited

10. The first trials were conducted at London's Gatwick Airport in May 1981 and are a convenient way of describing the system operation (see fig. 3).

11. The trial was intended to monitor the transponder performance of all inbound aircraft as they taxied past the facility during peak times of the day over a 6 week period.

12. The resultant outputs from the test system were fed via a monitor/ decoder to the 8 lamp display unit sited adjacent to the taxiway and in full view from the cockpit.

shuts down after approximately 8 seconds enabling satisfactory test sampling of all aircraft at normal taxiing speeds.

16. The test interrogator power output is calibrated such that any transponder system with the minimum specified receiver sensitivity or better is stimulated. The subsequent reply is measured against specified parameters and positive results cause the appropriate caution lamp to be extinguished. The sequence of interrogation is shared equally between Mode A. C and SLS.

17. In addition to the Mode and SLS tests the system measures the radiated power from the taxiing aircraft. In the first instance achievement of the minimum power output (21 dBW) will extinguish the 4th amber (PWR) lamp

on the top row and illuminate the first green lamp on the bottom row. For the purposes of the Gatwick trial it was arranged to measure and indicate the output levels in 3 further increments of 3 dBW. This created a power signature for each aircraft and enabled any deterioration to be detected over the 6 week trial period. (see figs. 4. 5 and 6) 18. Trial Observations The evaluation of results from this trial provided extensive data such that the following observations were made: i. testing technique - proved to be simple. viable and costeffective. ii. aircraft operation - total cooperation is required for 1 00% effectiveness. iii. transponder performance - test parameters were set against ICAO Annex 10 and ARINC 532/572. iv. equipment performance - fully serviceable for entire 6 weeks. although the acoustic sensor was found unsuitable and replaced by a manual switch. Future trials sets are intended to function on the basis of continuous interrogation. that is all 8 lamps will be illuminated. When the aircraft is within range of the interrogator appropriate lamps would be extinguished as the transponder is assessed. v. Airlines and British Caledonian in particular showed considerable interest.

19. A total of 191 aircraft were tested, representing a wide diversity of UK and overseas operators. These aircraft recorded 11 79 aircraft movements of which 605 provided useable data.

49% of aircraft did not satisfactorily activate the test facility, possibly due to transponder failure, or failure by the

13. A further remote monitoring facility was located in the approach control room to enable correlation with a standard SSR display.

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14. Tests were also carried out on outbound aircraft but the results of these were not passed to the crew and merely recorded.

15. The chosen method of activation was an acoustic sensoring device. A microphone was incorporated into the tester and adjusted such that it was sensitive to the quietest of aircraft using Gatwick. Engine noise of the approaching aircraft would activate the system at which point interrogation would commence. This lasts for a minimum of 5 seconds and the system

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crew to switch on the system. In any event the test facility cannot differentiate between the two circumstances.

20. Of the 605 useable events 25% indicated failure in one or more of the test parameters.

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23. However. without the SLS malfunctions this figure would reduce to 1 7%. This compared with a figure of less than 5% reported in-flight defects. although it is accepted that some aircrew will select the alternative transponder and omit to report the defect to base service.

24. Liaison with airlines revealed that 21 reported defects were confirmed by subsequent investigation.

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27. In conclusion we believe the trials have showed conclusively the feasibility of an automatic pre take-off SSR testing system.

28. The taxiway test facility is cost-effective and reliable.

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31. Similarly it is essential that the highest rates of transponder serviceability are maintained if en route air traffic flows are to be successfully achieved.

32. Cessor Electronics believes the Taxiway Test Facility will greatly assist in the endeavor.

CANADA from page 4 The basic characteristics common to all RAMP TCU and TWR display systems are as follows: • fully digital primary and secondary indications (present position symbols) • data tags indicating aircraft identification (ACID), type, ground speed, altitude and other data such as aircraft weight category, and language being used in communication with aircraft (Site Selectable) • coasting of missed targets • manual and automatic track to flight plan correlation • digital weather display in two intensities (i.e., heavy precipitation and thunderstorms) • lists displays (preview. coast. status, arrival, departure) • display of appropriate maps (revised locally as needed) • capable of future development such as minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW) and conflict alert

preferred radar. The advantage of this type of mosaic presentation is that the best radar data for a particular area is displayed, backed up by the best alternative. Radar holes and random misses will be effectively eliminated, except possibly in areas with single radar coverage.

Installation of this equipment is to commence in 1 988 and be completed by 1992. Site preparation is proceeding in order to meet the deadline for acceptance of the electronic equipment.

In the months to come, members of the Joint Technical Committee, along with the RAMP Team, will be involved with the evaluation of these new systems to ensure they meet the operational requirements as specified.

It is our opinion that Transport Canada has taken a positive approach to modernizing the ATC system in Canada which will be of great benefit to the user thus cost effective to the taxpayer.

(CA).

Area Control Centre (ACC) Display The upgrade of JETS to accept RAMP Radar will be the Radar Data .--------------Processing System (RDPS). The RDPS Heliports Stressed will bring to ACCs in addition to what's at Annual HAI Meeting presently available: The 36th annual meeting of the • extended radar coverage Helicopter Association International.

• digitized primary radar. thus the which was held between January 1 8 elimination of time-shared displays and 21 in Las Vegas. was marked by and the requirement for a darkened an attendance of 9,532. the introenvironment duction of 'management clinics' and a • will accept up to 1 6 radar sources strong exhibitor turnout (although no • Predicted Track Line (PTL) new products were announced by the • electronic cursor to measure dismajor airframe manufacturers). The tances and calculate track 1984 HAI also included seminars • ability to display aircraft type supporting the theme 'The Com• ability to display language aircraft munity. the Heliport and the Helicopis communicating in (Site Selectter.' A representative of Hoyle, Tann & able) Associates suggested at one such • mosaic tracking seminar that many of the problems • weather information displayed in that helicopter interests face in estabtwo levels. lishing heliports and obtaining acceptance of rotorcraft are the result One of the principle features of of the failure of operators to comproRDPS will be radar mosaicing. The mise with community and political mosaicing method currently proposed leaders. The HAI meeting was also the divides the Centre's area into a mosaic site for the release of a draft outline for grid, composed of interlocking individual mosaic tiles. Each tile is sized a proposed VFR/ IFR heliport design guide. and designed to accommodate all or part of a given sector's area and requirements.

For each tile. one radar is specified Annex 3 Amended as preferred. and another as alternate.

Amendment 65 to Annex 3 - MeWhen a return comes in. it is checked to see if the radar which produced it is teorological Service for International Air Navigation, concerning implethe preferred one in the tile in which it mentation of the new world area foreis located. If it is, it is displayed. A recast system (WAFS) and provisions on turn from the alternate radar is disobserving and reporting of runway played only if. for the corresponding visual range (RVR) will become applitrack, an update within the last scan cable on 22 November 1984. period had not been received from the

Making the Best of It The weather was forecast to remain VFR for the duration of the flight. with high scattered clouds at the destination airport. The pilot passed a position report enroute and a weather update indicated no change. It was within 1 2 miles of destination, after ATC passed on the airport weather 800 feet and 3 miles-that he noticed conditions around him were indeed getting worse - and quickly. He descended to maintain VFR and tried to follow the highway. By this time, ATC advised him the weather at the airport was down to 300 ft and would he consider landing on the road? The 400 hour private pilot had a few tough decisions to make.

He decided against landing on the highway due to the heavy traffic and the possibility of injuring other people.

He requested and received a radar vector to another airport and contemplated climbing out through the fog. but because of his lack of instrument experience he ruled this out. His other option was to land in a field and since there were only two that looked suitable in sight. he flew inspection passes over both, choosing the one with the fewest obstacles. The subsequent precautionary landing resulted in a loss of directional control and a crumpled left wing. but the pilot and his wife stepped out uninjured. These events took place over a very short time period. From the time the pilot first realized he had a problem to the time he decided to land, the aircraft only travelled about 10 miles.

We live in a society that puts human beings on the moon. but we still cannot accurately predict the weather. The pilot develops basic meteorological skills, a knowledge of local trends. puts them together with the published weather data and uses this material to make educated decisions. It's important to always kAep a watchful eye on the weather to detect the early signs before things start going sour and to prevent being boxed into a corner. This pilot. once 'boxed in'. maintained presence of mind and exercised sound judgment in an extremely stressful situation. The Safety Letter has dealt extensively with the problems of flight into adverse weather. illustrating them with numerous examples of poor judgment for which the penalty was death. A story like this one makes us feel that maybe the safety message is getting through.

25

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By S. R. Barret First print ed in AOPA 'New sletter '

' MLS is a "Go" program . .. It will not be stopped . The only issue worth d iscu ssing is w here M LS w ill be located. , So stated a ranking FAA offi c ial w hen cont act ed by the AOPA News lett er during researc h for thi s st ory.

Certa inly, th at comment is intended to lay t o rest, once and for all, thought s within the aviation communit y th at the FAA w ould scrap its plant s to make the Micro wav e Landing Syst em ( M LS) th e future prec ision instrument landing syst em in th e Unit ed State s.

The heir ap parent to th e Instrument Landing Syst em (ILS) , MLS was developed jo intly by th e Unit ed State s and A ustr alia, and was submitt ed t o th e Int ernati ona l Civil Aviati on Orga nizati o n (ICAO) for consider ati on as t he next ge nerati on prec ision inst rum ent landing syst em wo rldw ide. In 19 7 8, ICAO adopt ed M LS as an int ernati onal st anda rd .

Victor J . Kayne. AOPA senior vicepresident w ho also serves as de legate fr om th e Int ernati onal Cou ncil of Airc raft Ow ner and Pilot Assoc iat ions (IA OPA ) t o ICAO pointe d out, 'A OPA w as in agreement w it h ICAO and suppo rted ML S as th e eventu al replac ement fo r ILS' Kayne is qui c k t o em phasize t he wo rd , ·eventua l' By int ernati onal tr eaty ILS mu st remain intact and operati onal at int ernati onal airport s t hrough 1995. and t here is str ong ind icat ion t he agreement w ill be ext ended poss ibly for an add iti ona l 10 yea rs.

The pact , howe ver. only app lies t o int ernationa l airport s. off ering no protec ti o n for I LSs eit her at non-int ernati onal airport s in t he Unit ed St at es or at loca ti ons w hic h c urrent ly have no prec ision app roac h. but w hich qualified fo r and were sc hedu led to rece ive eith er a f ull or part ial ILS in t he near f utu re There t he majo r co ntr oversy begins.

Last year. w hen former FAA Ad m in istr ator J . Lynn Helms unveiled t he massive prog ram t o redesign and re-

build the entire nati onal airspace system . MLS was an int egral part of the packa ge . AOPA argu ed and still maint ains that MLS . as we ll as many other ' unrel ated ' pieces of th e National Air space System (NAS ) puzzle, should be judged independentl y of each oth er by Congr ess 'That was th e po liti ca l ge niu s of Helm s·, says W Law rence Graves, AOPA vicepresident for federal legi slative affa irs. · Helm s made it d iff ic ult fo r th e aviat ion indu stry t o " divide and co nq uer" the NAS plan in Congr ess. ' But, mo st disturbing was FAA's illadvised dec ision to arbitr arily ha lt planned ILS inst allati ons. M any qu alified loca ti ons. w hic h had no prec ision instrum ent approac h, had been sc hedul ed t o rece ive eit her a fu ll or part ial ILS befo re t he de c ision c hang ed th eir fate . That sudd en shift in FAA po licy meant t hat tho se loc ati on s, expect ing th eir fir st prec isio n app roac h w ithin one or two yea rs, w o uld be force d t o wai t up t o 1 5 yea rs fo r M LS. A OPA imme d iat ely c laim ed fou l and John L. Baker. assoc iat ion pres ident, labe lled t he cance llati on ' uncon scio nable'. Baker said t he agency' s plan wa s ·ove rly amb iti ous and w as proceedi ng w ith excess ive zeal', a posit io n AOP A m aint ain s to day At ICAO . IA OPA. w hic h inc lud es A OPA-US, sup po rt ed ML S as t he ·eve ntu al replace men t' for ILS Beca use of FAA' s quic k-tr igge r dec isio n to c ance l I LS inst allat ions, t he assoc iati on no longe r suppo rted th e agency· s ML S impl em ent ati on prog ram .

Propon ent s of ML S c laim a w ide variety of advantag es inc ludin g easier and less expen sive sit ing, steep er glide slope s (4 °, 5 °, 6 °) primarily for helicop t ers and STOL aircrah. and inc reased runway capac ity .

AO PA says m any of t hose arg uments have been dilut ed. AOPA' s presiden t said . ' Oth er th an its ab ility to be loca t ed w here. d ue t o terrain problems. ILS wo n't work. M LS holds no major adva nt age fo r ge neral aviation Yet, we ' re expected to pay fo r it w ith

our ta xes, an appro ac h to doing bus iness wh ic h defi es rat ional thin king and Is sim p ly un accep t ab le · Additi o nally, t he cos t of an airborne M LS rec eiver c urrent ly stand s at $ l 0 ,000 (a fact recentl y c o nfirmed

by Bendix Corpo rat io n w hi c h Is manufa cturin g such a unit ) and pilot s w ould have to pu rc hase DME eq uipment wh ic h cu rren t ly is on ly installe d in 2 8 percent of t he general av iation fl eet Simil ar con cern s we re echoed by A OPA' s regi o nal represen t at ives wh o . w hen po lled by th e A OPA 'N ew sle tter' , substa nti ated th at those w ere t he prim ary co nce rns of pilot s w hom the y had co ntacted There also is th e co ncern th at if. in t he not-t oo-dist ant future. th e Unit ed Sta t es ado pt s some form of sat elli te navigat ion syste m wi th pre c ision ap proac h capabili ty , M LS co uld qu ickly be rendered ob solete Rega rdless of the arg uments.

Tran sportat ion Sec ret ary Elizabeth H .

Dole anno unced th is past J anuary that t he Hazelti ne Corpor at ion of Greenlaw n. New York, rece ived a $90 .6 mi llion contr act to deliver 1 72 M LS ground un it s ove r a f ive-year period beg inni ng m id-1 985 In all . FAA plans to pu rc hase 1,250 m ic rowave landing syste ms w hich would more than do uble the num ber of prec ision approac hes c urrentl y avai lable in the Unit ed States Dole said all 1 . 250 unit s wo uld be installed at US airport s by t he year 2 000 However, the program already is beginn ing near ly three yea rs behind the original NAS plan sc hedul e There is a push by some M LS propo nent s to see an acce leration in FAA's M LS / ILS trans it ion schedule Joseph G M ason . execut ive director of the Nat ional Association of State Av iation Off icials (NASAO) told the A OPA Newslette r his organizat ion actu ally w ill recommend to Congress the imp leme nt at ion program be c o m pressed into four years instead of the planned 10 years . · It can be done ,· he said But, wh ile much of the av iat ion community agrees that iVlLS c ould be t he system of t he future . mo st, inc luding some within th e FAA. also seem to agree th at th e age ncy· s abrupt decision to ca ncel alre ady p rogrammed I LS install ation s is not in the best int erest of aviati o n The AOPA ' Newsle tter · has learn ed that Jonathan Howe . d irector of FAA's Southern Region . rec ent ly se nt an ' issue paper' t o FAA headqu arte rs rec ommending some ·re laxati on · of the agen cy ' s ILS policy duri ng t he transit ion period J ack Barker . a spoke sman at the Reg ion . offered 77

confirmation saying. 'To my knowledge. such a paper was sent to Washington.' At NASAO's January 31 Region 8 meeting in Atlanta. it also was indicated that other FAA regions had similar feelings. but it was not known whether similar formal statements had been sent to Washington.

Indications mount that. even with NASAO' s push for an accelerated MLS program. many state aviation directors are concerned with FAA's current ILS policy. 'Some states such as Minnesota and Michigan are pushing hard for MLS; others don't appear to be that aggressive.路 said Sonny Najera. Arizona's state director and president of NASAO. who added. 'but we're not supporting an accelerated MLS program at the expense of I LS'.

The good news is that of late. the FAA appears to be softening its policy regarding ILS cancellations. One FAA official told the AOPA 路Newsletter'. 路 FAA will "revisit" its policy regarding !LS. It doesn't make sense to cancel !LS installations. 路 To that end. a committee of Washington-based aviation organizations. including AOPA. will send a letter to the FAA and plans to testify to Congress that some ILS installations previously planned but cancelled should go forth as originally scheduled. The working group identified approximately 3 7 such locations. none of which currently has a full instrument approach.

Additionally. the group will make recommendations concerning the disposition of most of the 1 7 2 M LSs to be delivered by Hazeltine Corporation over the next five years.

What this all means is that the FAA may be starting to put some sense and logic back into its thinking on MLS. This would give users an opportunity to make a well-informed judgment about MLS. MLS may continue as the system of the future. but there is strong indication of an attitude change at 800 Independence Avenue from dictatorial to cooperative. At least the FAA may be starting to listen.

SICAS Panel Convened The Secondary Surveillance Radar Improvements and Collision Avoidance Sy~tems Panel (SICASP) is charged with developing draft provisions for SSR enhancement and related data link and collision avoidance systems. Its first meeting was held mid-1 983 in Montreal; a second is tentatively scheduled tor 5-23 November 1984.

28

subsystem comprises the navigation. surveillance. and communication facilities and equipment systems.

Mode S coverage is planned to be provided above 1 2.500 ft MSL in enroute airspace. within TCAS. and down to the surface at qualifying airports. It is further planned that coverage will eventually extend down to 6.000ft MSLorthe minimum enroute altitude. whichever is higher. The first Mode S/Data Link ground site is expected to be operational by 1988. By 1991. 137 systems are expected to provide surveillance coverage at selected high density terminals. support and enroute sites. Additional systems will extend surveillance/data link operation down to 6,000 ft MSL by 2000.

AOPA Marks 45th Anniversary From the AOPA 'Newsletter', May 7984.

Forty-five years ago, private pilots were generally regarded as pests by the 'professionals' in airlines and military aviation. and those in government. To the general public. they were just plain crazy.

It was during that year that five prominent businessmen in Philadelphia. themselves private pilots. decided to grab the aviation industry by its prejudices and begin defending and protecting the rights of private pilots. That was the birth of what was to grow into the largest. most influential civil aviation organization in the world - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Step One on the founders· agenda of things to do was to find a name for this new organization.

Step Two was to recruit a young man particularly well qualified to carry out their ideas of what private pilots and owners should be entitled to. and how they should be treated to get the respect deserved. That young man was Joseph B. ·Doc· Hartranft. Jr. The five Philadelphians chose Doc Hartranft as their first paid employee.

It was he who had formed the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. which later went on to gain member groups in a considerable number of colleges and universities throughout the United States.

From the beginning. Hartranft's operation was a one-man show. He worked from a tiny office in Philadelphia. a far cry from today's modern two-building facility at Frederick.

Maryland. Municipal Airport.

In May of 1939 when AOPA's birth was announced. a large percentage of the then-civil aviation industry in the United States shrugged. sneered or just ignored the tiny new organization.

But that didn't deter Hartranft. By its 10th anniversary AOPA was enrolling 1 .OOO new members a month. and celebrated its birthday with 35.000 members. The word had spread among private pilots; AOPA was tireless in promoting the use of private aircraft. encouraging the g_rowth of small airports. and fighting vigorously to assure that ·airline· airports built with public taxpayers' funds were open to all the public. not just a select few.

Hartranft. now the Association· s ~hair~an of t~e Board. put it this way: Th~t s our Job. AOPA isn't pugnacious. But sometimes aviation's most important man. the fellow who buys and uses US lightplanes. is completely overlooked. If AOPA has any one paramount purpose. it's to see that every law-abiding private pilot gets a fair break.· By 1949. AOPA and general aviation had assumed an entirely new and significantly improved image in the transportation community of the United States - later to be spread to many other parts of the world by AOPA's aggressive staff. During the association's first 10 years. AOPA's handful of staff members frantically ran back and forth between various government offices in Washington.

They already were participating in 3 7 government and industry committees concerned with molding civil aviation· s future. and were keeping a sharp eye on Congress. dealing with no less than 67 congressional bills.

From the very day of its founding in 1939. AOPA had a published list of its objectives. Except for some items which gradually became obsolete. that list retains AOPA's current objectives. Targeted from that first day in

1939 were issues such as unreasonable landing fees, overzealous regulations, rising fuel taxes, the availability and cost of hangar accommodations. the overpricing of aviation parts and supplies. industry-wide research and development. airport restrictions, safety, and construction of dangerous obstructions. It is interesting to note that. in 45 years, the issues have not really changed all that much.

AOPA's first president was C. Townsend Ludington, vice president was P.T. Sharples and treasurer was L.P. Sharples, all off whom have since passed away. Still living and still active as a pilot and aircraft owner is Alfred L. Wolf. AOPA's general counsel and secretary.

AOPA's size and activities began to grow just after World War II, when restrictions on US civil aviation were largely lifted. By 1953 it had 38.001 members; by 1956 it had 61,857; in 1977, the year John L. Baker became president.

167.000; in 1978.

220.575; and. today 265.000.

AOPA's growth generally paralleled that of the general aviation manufacturing industry which. in 1967. had 14 companies that produced 13.577 new aircraft. or nearly five times the total airline fleet. In its peak year, 1978. the industry produced 17.811 new aircraft. six times the size of the airline fleet.

In 1954. with a membership of 40.000 and a staff of 42. AOPA kept its members informed with a monthly insert in 'Flying· magazine and with a monthly newsletter. Services. by then. had expanded to include a full-fledged Flight Department. that became world-famous because of its activities in routing members to and across nearly every continent on earth.

During its 45 years. AOPA also has been involved with a number of firsts. some of which have become household topics of discussion among pilots. In September 194 1 AOPA finally got the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA - now the FAA) to agree to put numbers on runways.

In July 1946 AOPA consummated arrangements with Lloyds of London to make available to members reasonably-priced insurance for personal accident. aircraft hull. liability and the first flying-only policies. nearly all of which had been unavailable until then.

In February 194 7 the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO) was formed at an international conference in Chicago PICAO later evolved into the present International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with headquarters in Montreal. AOPA took strong issue with the PICAO founders tor tailing to 29

inc_lude general avIatIon representation. PICAO conceded the oversight and changed much of the language in its charter to reflect its concern with all civil users of the airspace.

The International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) was formed in February 1962 to represent world general aviation and became an official observermember of ICAO in October 1964.

Today IAOPA has 28 countries as members, each formed essentially along the lines of AOPA-US, to foster and promote general aviation in their countries. AOPA-US staff members, who are expert in the many phases of IC~O activities, participate in all international deliberations of concern to ge~eral aviation and invariably leave their mark on world civil aviation.

AOPA also introduced the name 'Unicom'. Until then, the government had_a typical tongue-twisting bureaucratic name for the advisory service, call_edthe 'airport advisory communications frequency'_ Additionally, AOPA coined the name' omnigation', for the VOR (veryh1gh frequency) navigation system th~n _being adopted. One popular avI?nIcs company named its navigation receiver 'Omnigator' with AOPA's blessing.

As the years passed, AOPA expanded its activities. In 1950 it formed _ the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, originator of many ground and flight training programs, such as the popular Pinchhitter® course which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary. The Foundation is recognized as a leading source of safety information in general aviation.

In_ 1953 the AOPA Service Corporation (known as ASCO) was formed as an insurance brokerage to monitor insurance programs for members and to deve_lopnew programs. In 1979 Destinations Unlimited, a full-fledged travel agency available to individual members as well as group tours, was established.

One of AOPA' s best-known functions was - and is - its annual Plantation Party, the first of which was held at Biloxi, Mississippi in 1957. It has been held annually ever since, and has evolved into the AOPA Convention and Industry Exhibit (to be held this year In Nashville, Tennessee).

So, AOPA is 45 years old. has 265.000 members and a paid staff of over 200. It recently moved into its own new complex at Frederick, Maryland, Municipal Airport, and continues to exercise the mandate set forth 45 years ago - the protection of the rights of general aviation pilots and aircraft owners.

30

Eurocontrol Permanent Commission's 64th Session

The Permanent Commission of Ministers of 'Eurocontrol,' the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, held its 64th Session in Brussels on 10th July 1984. The session was presided over by Mr. Jim Mitchell, Minister for Communications of Ireland.

The ministers representing the Member States acting in the dual capacities as members of the Permanent Commission and National Authorities, took note of the study which they had requested be made by the Consultative Group on Route Charges on the question of the disparity which had been observed between the unit rates of the states participating in the system of route charges. The ministers authorized the transmission of the study to the representative organizations of the airspace users. They called on the Consultative Group to continue its efforts with a view to achieving greater transparency and improved harmonization of the route charges system, and to report periodically on progress made in this area.

The Permanent Commission received a report on the ratification of the 'Protocol amending the Eurocontrol International Convention of 13 December 1960' and the 'Multilateral Agreement Relating to Route Charges' which were signed in Brussels on 1 2 February 1981. The ministers noted that five states signatory of both instruments, namely the Federal Republic of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Portugal had actually deposited their instrument of ratification with the Belgian Government and that Switzerland, not signatory to the Protocol had ratified the Multilateral Agreement. In this context the Permanent Commission noted that preparatory measures necessary for the implementation of the Amended Convention and the new Multilateral Agreement had been taken.

The Permanent Commission heard a statement from the four states directly concerned with the operation

of Eurocontrol Upper Area Control Center at Maastricht in the Netherlands viz. the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and: •

•

•

•

• •

•

noted that the proposals as contained in the report of the Director General of the Agency of March 1 9~4 do not as yet give a sufficient basis for the confirmation of the decision taken by the four states and supported by the Permanent Commission on 1 5th November 1983; noted the irrevocable decision of the Netherlands to transfer to Maastricht its upper airspace above FL 300 in the beginning of 1986; noted that this decision ascertains unambiguously the continued existence of the Maastricht Center; agreed to the setting up of a task force of national experts of the four st~tes and experts of the General Directorate which will consider the future role of the Maastricht Center, giving special attention to the absolute necessity of an uninterrupted availability of air traffic services by establishing adequate contingency measures. This task force will investigate all other risk areas of the Maastricht extension concept; noted th_atthe chairmanship of the group will be assumed by Belgium; noted that the group will report to the ministers of transport of the four states before the 21 st September 1984; decided that the Permanent Commission will be informed as soon as possible when material of interest to all member states had been developed, and at the latest at the normal session of November 1984.

The Permanent Commission decided to hold its next session on 20 November 1984 at the Organization's Headquarters in Brussels.

Half Century in Flight

Not every passenger who takes his seat in a plane of Aeroflot . the world's biggest airline. knows exactly what is behind the letters TU and IL. Passenger craft so designated are a tribute of respect to the name s of outstanding aircrah designers and scientists . Tupolev and llyushin . and the others w ho created Soviet aviation in the fir st five-year plan period half a century ago.

The w hole wor ld was astounded then by the wo rld records set by Soviet flier s - for distance . altitude and lifting capacity. They were astounded bec ause the country. w hic h a short while back had been ravaged by the First World War and the Civil War . w hich had been famine- stricken and illiterate . was show ing the world examples of technological progress. Academi cia n Sergei llyu shin was among the pioneers of Soviet aircraft engine ering. For a good 40 years he headed the design bureau w hich now bears his name. Dozens of th e llyus hin design bureau's c raft of differ ent c lasses and designations went into th e sky. embody ing the late st in technology and engineering.

Not only more soph isti cated airc raft were designed. Sergei lly ushin was a fine educator of aviation design ers and researc hers. and th e new machines created under th e guidance of Genri kh Novozhilo v. his c losest pupil and com rade-in-arms. is the best proof of thi s One example is th e 350 seat IL-86 airbu s. one of th e latest products of the llyushin design bureau Others are the IL-62M airliners. wh ich co nnect th e Soviet Union with dozens of foreign c iti es. th e I L-7 6 cargo plane. familiar to many const ructi on worke rs of th e north .. . The llyus hin design bureau has truly done a great deal over the past half centu ry.

Passenger craft w ith the I L trademark are we ll known in the wor ld today . These liner s are also used by the air companies lnterflug (GDR). CSA (Czechoslo vakia).

LOT (Poland) .

TAROM (Romania) and a number of others. The 11-76 cargo plane flies in Siberia and northern areas w here giant industri al facilities are being built or new cities are going up. Several yea rs ago So viet Union ca rried a photograph of the fir st IL-76. wh ich delivered an lkaru s bus to the newly built town of Novy Urengo i. The bus rolled right out of t he plane's cargo hold into the to w n .

The IL-76 doe s not need conc rete slab landing strip s; it is capab le of asce nding w ith over 40 ton s of large -size cargo. equipm ent and con t ainers .

Thi s ¡w ork-horse ' has made a great con tributi on t o the development of th e oil- and gas-ric h Tyum en Reg ion by the Ob River . To round out thi s fine aircraft's portrait, thi s heavy j et has set 27 wo rld record s!

Such are the ach ievemen ts of the ¡descendants' of the remarkable Soviet aircra ft designe r Sergei llyush in . They have not, and wi ll not, let their teacher down.

Serge/ 1/yushin

IL- 78 still flying 31

Membership

Benefits

SEE REVERSESIDE

NOT TRANSFERABLE

List of hotels granting discounts to IFATCA members upon production of their valid membership card

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATIONS

MEMBERSHIP-CARD AUSTRIA Parkhotel. Graz Hotel Maria Theresia. Innsbruck Hotel Europa. Innsbruck Hotel Tyrol. Innsbruck Hotel Touringhaus. Innsbruck Holiday Inn. Innsbruck Tourotel. Linz Hotel Sportklause. Niederau-Wildschonau.

VALID UNTIL

JUNE

1985

THE HOLDEROF THIS CARDIS AN INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF IFATCA

Tirol

CANADA Seaway Hotels: Montreal. Toronto. Ottawa. Halifax. Kingston Hyatt Regency: Montreal. Vancouver. Vancouver Airport Hilton Canada: The Oueen Elizabeth Montreal. Montreal Aeroport Hilton at Dorval Airport. Toronto Airport. Harbour Castle Hilton Toronto. Quebec Hilton. Vancouver Hilton Hotel Loews La Cite. Montreal

DENMARK Hotel Mercur. Copenhagen Hotel Richmond. Copenhagen Hotel Du Nord Greena. Greena

ENGLAND The Churchill. London The London Ryan Hotel

FIJI Fiji Mocambo Hotel. Nadi lnt'I Airport

FRANCE Holiday Inns: Paris Orly Airport. Roissy Airport. Avignon. Lille Lesquin. Lille Macq en Baroeul. Strasbourg

GERMANY Holiday Inn. Munich

GREECE Chandris Hotels

HOLLAND Hotel Krasnapolsky. Amsterdam Hotel Ibis. Amsterdam Airport

HONG KONG The Empress Hotel. Kowloon

HUNGARY Budapest Hilton Duna Intercontinental Atrium Hyatt Budapest Novotel Budapest Hotel Expo

Grosvenor Hotel. Nairobi Sunset Hotel. Lake Victoria Tea Hotel. Kericho Mt. Elgon Lodge

LUXEMBOURG Holiday Inn. Luxembourg Hotel Empire. Luxembourg

MEXICO Hotel Las Hamacas. Acapulco Acapulco Imperial

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES Holiday Beach Hotel. Curacao

NEW CALEDONIA Hotel le Nouvata. Noumea Noumea Hotel. Noumea

NEW ZEALAND Hotel Chateaux Commodore. Christchurch Colonial Inn Motel. Christchurch Ambassador Travel Hotel. Wellington South Pacific Motor Inn. Lower Hutt The City Hotel. Dunedin Angus Inn Motor Hotel. Hastings Bungalow Tourist Hotel. Rotorua Travelodge Australia Ltd.: all Travelodges and Parkroyals throughout

the South Pacific

PERU Hotel Crillon. Lima

PORTUGAL Lisboa Penta Hotel. Lisboa Balaia Penta Hotel. Albufeira. Algarve

SEYCHELLES Reff Hotel. Mahe

SPAIN

ICELAND

Penta Club. Ibiza Sun Club Bungalows. Playa del Ingles & Maspalomas

Loftleidir Hotel. Reykjavik

SRI LANKA

IRELAND

Hotel Lanka, Oberoi. Colombo

International Airport Hotel. Dublin The Gresham Hotel. Dublin Blooms Hotel. Dublin The Killarney Ryan Hotel The Limerick Ryan Hotel The Galway Ryan Hotel The Yeats Country Ryan Hotel The Westport Ryan Hotel

SWITZERLAND

ISRAEL Country Club Hotel Israel Hiltons

ITALY Etap Etap Etap Etap

Hotel Hotel Hotel Hotel

Boston. Roma Astoria. Firenze Bologna. Bologna Club Paestum. Salerno

KENYA Hotels & Lodges of African Tours and Hotels Ltd. - South Coast Hotels Two Fishes & Trade Winds North Coast Hotels Mombasa Beach Mnaran1 Hotel.

Whispering Palms Safari Lodges Kilaguni. Ngulia. Voi. Meru Mulika.

Mount1:J111 Lodge. Marsabit. Hunters Lodge Mil1m;m1 Hotel. Nairobi

32

Hotel d'Auteuil, Geneva Holiday Inn. Zurich-Regensdorf Movenpick-Hotel. Zurich-Airport

TUNISIA Hotel Les Orangers. Hammamet

TOGO Hotel De la Paix. Lome

USA International 6 Motel. Disneyland. Anaheim

VENEZUELA Doral Beach Villas & Hotel. Puerto La Cruz

YUGOSLAVIA Hotel Lav, Split

HERTZ car rental in several countries

Detailed information as to rates and hotel addresses are available at the IFATCA Secretariat and will be provided to interested members on request.

Corporate Members of I FATCA AEG-Telefunken, Ulm, FRG Amecon Division, Litton Systems Inc., College Park, USA ANSA Advisory Group Air Navigation, Westerngrund, FRG A/ S Elektrisk Bureau, Nesbru, Norway Cardion Electronics, Woodbury, USA CAE Electronics Ltd., Saint-Laurent, Canada Cecsa Systemas Electronicos SA, Madrid, Spain Cossor Electronics Ltd., Harlow, UK Dictaphone Corporation, Rye, USA Eaton Corporation, AIL Division, Farmingdale, USA Ericsson Radio SystemsAB, Stockholm, Sweden Ferranti Limited, Bracknell, UK Hollandse Signaalapparaten B.V., Hengelo, Netherlands IKO Software Service, Stuttgart, FRG Jeppesen & Co. GmbH, Frankfurt, FRG Litton Communications Switching Systems, Freiburg i. Br., FRG Lockheed Aircraft Service Company, Ontario, USA Marconi Radar Systems Ltd., Chelmsford, UK Mitre Corporation, McLean, USA Philips Telecommunicatie lndustrie B.V., Hilversum, Netherlands Plessey Electronic Systems Ltd., Addlestone, UK Racal Decca Systems Ltd., New Malden, UK Racal Recorders Ltd .. Southampton, UK Raytheon Canada Ltd., Waterloo, Canada Rediffusion Simulation Inc., Arlington, USA Schmid Telecommunication, Zurich, Switzerland SCICON Ltd., London, UK Selenia lndustrie Elettroniche, Rome, Italy SEL-Standard Elektrik Lorenz, Stuttgart, FRG Societe d' Etude et d' Entreprises electriques, lssy-les-Moulineaux. France Sofreavia, Paris, France Software Sciences Ltd .. Farnborough. UK Sperry Univac, St. Paul, USA Thomson-CSF, Meudon, France Ulmer Aeronautique, Clichy, France Westinghouse Electric Corp .. Baltimore, USA

The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers· Associations would like to invite all corporations. organizations. and institutions interested in and concerned with the maintenance and promotion of safety in air traffic to join their organization as Corporate Members.

Corporate Members support the aims of the Federation by supplying the Federation with technical information and by means of an annual subscription. The Federation· s international journal 'The Controller· is offered as a platform for the discussion of technical and procedural developments in the field of air traffic control.

'-------------------------------------~-~-------··-

All things considered,is it so remarkablethat

Irelandalsoruns a ratherenjoyableairline?

AerLingus fi