What is a runway incursion?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) define a runway incursion as any unauthorized intrusion
onto a runway, regardless of whether or not an aircraft presents a potential
conflict.
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The FAA categorizes runway incursions from serious (Category A) to
incidents that do not pose immediate risk (Category D).
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What is a runway excursion?
A runway excursion takes place when an aircraft exits the runway at the side or
off the end of the runway. It may result from technical issues, but could also
result if an aircraft is on a runway shorter than its required takeoff
length.
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What is runway confusion?
Runway confusion occurs when an aircraft lands on or takes off from the wrong
runway.
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RUNWAY SAFETY SOLUTIONS
There are several ways the industry is approaching the issue of runway
incursions and excursions.
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An Airport Infrastructure Approach
The FAA has spent over $404 million to acquire and deploy Airport Surface
Detection Equipment - Model X (ASDE-X) equipment. Over 30 years, the FAA will
spend more than $806 million to purchase and maintain 35 ASDE-X systems. These
systems provide ground surveillance capability through software, allowing air
traffic control and aircraft to see traffic on the ground at airports.
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Though this is a comprehensive solution, it will impact only about 35
airports in the U.S., and requires expensive purchases and maintenance.
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The ASDE-X equipment allows air traffic control to see ground traffic at
the airport, but does not provide the same information to aircraft in the air
or on the ground. Avionics software is required to provide that capability, and
Honeywell is working with Sensis Corporation, the company implementing the
systems in the U.S., to develop a solution for the cockpit.
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Other infrastructure improvements include runway safety lights and added
signage. Runway safety lights assess the potential for conflict on the runway
(with data provided by a system like ASDE-X) and illuminate bright red at
runway entry points to warn pilots not to enter the runway. Runway safety
lights were installed at Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) in 2005, for example.
Additionally, many airports are updating and adding signage along taxiways and
runways to eliminate pilot confusion, which helps pilots navigate during good
visibility.
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Honeywell's Approach to Runway Safety
Infrastructure improvements are expensive and require years to implement,
beginning with funding procurement. Software enhancements to currently
available avionics equipment are, in contrast, much less expensive.
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Honeywell developed the Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) to
address runway incursions and confusion. The software provides timely aural
advisories to the flight crew during taxi, takeoff, final approach, landing and
rollout. This added situational awareness helps pilots avoid runway incursion
and other kinds of on-ground accidents, which happen on average once a day
worldwide, at a cost of nearly $95 million a year.
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RAAS is an economical software add-on - costing about a penny per passenger
per flight - to Honeywell's proven Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System
(EGPWS) that uses the EGPWS computer and runway database to provide pilots with
audible warnings if they are taxiing onto an active runway unintentionally.
Aural alerts regarding location to a runway or taxiway make it complementary to
an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).
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The system also confirms the runway identification, to make sure pilots are
taking off or landing on the right runway, and provides an audible warning if
an aircraft inadvertently accelerates for takeoff while still on the taxiway.
The Honeywell RAAS is installed on more than 200 air transport and 1,470
business aircraft, with another 800 airline systems on order.
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What's Next?
Honeywell is developing additive solutions, including visual alerting.
Meanwhile, in mid-2009, Honeywell will introduce Stable Approach Monitoring, or
SAM, as an addition to EGPWS, providing alerts for too-high or too-fast
approaches where an aircraft could overrun the runway. |
