Dr. David Harrison, Director of Safety, NATS UK
Aaron Curtis, Prospect ATCOs Branch, UK
Patrik Peters, President and CEO, IFATCA
Lynn Ray, Vice President of Mission Support, ATO
Jeff Woods, National PMO Representative, NATCA
Joe DePete, First Vice President, ALPA
Peter Duffey, President, Canadian Air Traffic Control Association
n the UK they have the ability to interrogate an aircraft altitude entry with mode S. If the controller says FL250 and enters the altitude into the data block, the system will also read what altitude was entered by the pilot in the aircraft and alert if the information doesn't match up.
“[iFACTS] has a nice little feature where if the computer entry is different that the Mode S data input by the pilot, the system will alert me. Its saved me quite a few times, actually.”
The UK also uses mode S to read what altimeter is set in each aircraft. Cuts down on verbiage compared to the steps we have to do in order to get that information.
“The most important data (to determine if PBN is safer) is voluntary reporting.
With PBN, from a technical standpoint we are well on our way….from a cultural standpoint, we still have some work to do.”
PBN is still in it's infancy and it's too early to see if this is really enhancing safety or if it's introducing new problems. The initial goal for PBN was efficiency more than safety. They are now using the data from the early stages and are shifting the focus to safety. A good portion of the data derives from ATSAP identifying systemic issues. FedEx has seen a 20% increase in arrivals since the implementation of PBN/OPDs which speaks to the increase of efficiency.
“[FEDEX Aviation] has seen a 20% increase in capacity and saved 4 million in fuel. reduced average flight time by 2 minutes in the air and 3 on the ground.”
Nav Canada is in a situation where they don't buy new equipment, they build it. The controllers identify a need and work with engineers to create new technology for the job. They have a digital strip display that controllers designed and built with the help of engineers, that has been successful.