Concealed beneath a thick blanket of fog, with the skies overcrowded with too many planes, Planes need more than just good pilots to help them land safely! Aviation experts say a $40-billion GPS system is needed to handle the huge volume of traffic in the skies by 2025.
Air traffic controllers Stuart Smith, left, and Jeff Doden work in the tower at LAX, using radar. Satellite technology is more accurate and reliable, updating information every second. Image credit: Richard Hartog
UPS Airlines is using the groundbreaking technology of this system in Louisville at the Louisville International Airport to safely land more airplanes per hour and prevent delays.
The system, which relies on a network of global positioning satellites commonly used by hikers and drivers, also is the backbone of an ambitious plan by federal officials to overhaul the nation’s aging air traffic control system.
However, the cost is high of modernizing highways in the sky is high s a staggering $40-billion price tag. This would include satellite technology along with a system that would allow public agencies and private airlines to share information and new navigation procedures. It will be a big effort to get all convinced on this.
Moreover equipping aircraft with technology that can receive signals from global positioning satellites is also going to be expensive. Airlines say they are reluctant to pay millions to retrofit planes.
Pilots and controllers who participated in ADS-B tests, particularly in Alaska, also point to a steep learning curve for controllers who will use the system. But they add that the system’s safety benefits alone are worth it.
This ready technology will give us carpool lanes in the skies for airlines. To prevent delays, accidents, and manage future crowded skies, we all have to accept this technology.
Source: LA Times
