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By Mike Mitchell |
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January 13, 2010 - Houston FAA air traffic controllers are beginning to
use an improved satellite-based system – Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) — to more efficiently and safely separate
and manage aircraft flying over the “Safety is our highest priority at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and this new satellite-based technology will help the FAA improve the safety of flights over the Gulf even as air traffic increases,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. |
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“This is a significant, early step toward NextGen,” Administrator
Babbitt said in a press conference at the
ADS-B, which is one of the technologies at the heart of the
transformation to NextGen, brings air traffic control to the
Aircraft equipped with ADS-B in the region will now know where they are
in relation to bad weather and receive flight information including
Notice to Airmen and Temporary Flight Restrictions.
Prior to ADS-B, commercial aircraft flying at high altitudes were kept
as much as 120 miles apart to ensure safety. Controllers are now able to
safely reduce the separation between ADS-B equipped aircraft to five
nautical miles, significantly improving capacity and efficiency. The new
technology will also allow the FAA to provide new, more direct routes
over the
The FAA was able to install ground stations on oil platforms as part of
an agreement with the Helicopter Association International, oil and
natural gas companies and helicopter operators. A network of ground
stations was deployed on oil platforms and the surrounding shoreline,
bringing satellite-based surveillance to an area with almost as much
daily air traffic as the northeast corridor. |
The
Controllers in
The FAA first established an ADS-B prototype in |
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