3.2 Blog Discussion: Career Attributes 

I am preparing myself to be a commercial pilot upon my graduation. As an aspiring pilot, I feel that communication in the cockpit and accountability are extremely important as flying will require a high level of communication between the cockpit and the air traffic controller to prevent any catastrophe in the sky. Therefore, the changes in air traffic surveillance technology are extremely crucial to facilitate safer and smoother flight operations. 

Transitioning of radar surveillance to ADS-B

What is Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B): ADS-B is designed to revolutionize air traffic control by allowing for more precise and dependable tracking of aircraft in flight and on the ground.

Air traffic service providers and regulators throughout the world are shifting their focus to airspace and flight operations in order to increase traffic flow, capacity, efficiency, and safety while also allowing for greater flexibility and adaptation. The shift from radar surveillance to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a crucial step in improving the accuracy and reliability of tracking aircraft in flight and on the ground (Jones, 2003). The upgrades will require the installation of new equipment on both new and existing Aircraft.

As air travel is getting more and more popular, the airspace is getting congested with aircraft, therefore, a precise location of the aircraft is important to maintain the safety of the national airspace. ADS-B is a new surveillance technology developed to help modernize the air transportation industry. It provides foundational technologies for Next Generation Air Transportation System (or NextGen) and Single European Sky Air Traffic Management (ATM) Research Programme upgrades (or SESAR) (Colliver et al., 2013). The US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) NextGen initiative aims to improve the air traffic control (ATC) system to support a higher number of flights more effectively.

How does ADS-B works?

Referring to the diagram below, ADS-B utilizes a combination of satellites, transmitters, and receivers to provide very specific information on the location and speed of airplanes in the area to both flight crews and ground control personnel.

Figure 1: Schematic system diagram of the ADS-B systems 

Note: This diagram is illustrated by Boeing. Richards, W. (n.d.). new Air Traffic Surveillance Technology. Aero. From https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_02_10/2/

ADS-B has two elements from the aircraft's perspective. The transmitting airplanes send ADS-B Out signals to receivers on the ground or in other airplanes. The ADS-B Out signals are sent in a straight line from the transmitter to the receiver. ATC ground stations receive ADS-B Out signals to display traffic to air traffic controllers. Other aircraft in the area of the transmitting aircraft receive ADS-B Out signals as well. The lateral position (latitude and longitude), altitude, velocity, and flight number of the transmitting airplane are displayed to the receiving airplane pilot on a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information once the receiving airplane receives the ADS-B signals (CDTI). ADS-B In refers to the received ADS-B signal. The transmitting and receiving airplanes have a maximum range of more than 100 nautical miles (nmi), allowing the CDTI to display traffic both near and distant (Richards, n.d).

References

Colliver, F., Giles, S., Kirkman, D., McCourt, S., McQuestion, J., & Nguyen, Q. (2013). Incentivizing avionics equipage for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (nextgen). 2013 IEEE/AIAA 32nd Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC). https://doi.org/10.1109/dasc.2013.6719615

Jones, S. R. (2003). ADS-B surveillance quality indicators: Their relationship to system operational capability and Aircraft Separation Standards. Air Traffic Control Quarterly, 11(3), 225–250. https://doi.org/10.2514/atcq.11.3.225

Richards, W. (n.d.). new Air Traffic Surveillance Technology. Aero. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_02_10/2/