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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0919.PDF
FLIGHT, 5 July 1957 23 Laboratory model of the SATCO computer. On the right is the magnetic memory drum for storing flight plans. Flight data displayed on the central panel can be transferred to an adjacent centre by pushing a selection button. Printed circuits are widely used. SATCO An Automatic Air Traffic Control Computer from Holland NO subject has been more thoroughly debated, or its short-comings ventilated, in the past twelve months than that ofair traffic control. If conclusions have been reached, they are that the problem is multi-sided, and that no one solution willmeet it. Great pains have been taken to show that the facile "You gotta problem? Buy a radar" is not the panacea for A.T.C.'s illsthat at face value it might seem to be. Useful though it is, radar still leaves unsolved many problems of speeding traffic flow andof long-range separation. One bottleneck which remains to be eliminated is the mannerin which—at peak periods—controllers may be forced by sheer weight of numbers to delay the traffic under their control. Theneed for help from some form of automatic computer that can ease the controller's workload becomes obvious. In particular, themethod of handling aircraft by means of the flight progress strips which contain details of the aircraft's flight plan and the positioncalculations of the controller is outdated and must soon be replaced. Now being developed in Holland is a computer system which—by eliminating much of the controller's clerical work and mental arithmetic—may go far towards solving airways and terminal areabottlenecks. Called SATCO—Signaal Automatic Air Traffic Control—it is the first major venture into the civil field byHollandse Signaalapparaten of Hengelo, Holland. At present only a concept and a laboratory model, the system merits close studysince, in conjunction with automatic radar equipment and an aircraft data link (the development of Tacan is an example), itcould in developed form present the air traffic controller with the information, the time and the opportunity to act solely as themonitor of an automatic air traffic control system. Little voice communication with the aircraft would be needed and only inexceptional circumstances would his overriding discretion be exer- cised. This is probably the ideal. The principles guiding the Signaal design were that the system CC RADAR DATA — COMPUTER DATA *^ RADIO LINKS — CONTROL SIGNALS LONG RANGESURVEILLANCE RADAR AUTO TRACKING RADAR APPROACH CONTROL LOCAL CONTROL CCA. ADJACENT CONTROL - CENTRES DATA TRANSFER COMPUTER MEMORY DRUM —r rH*—i RADIO RPl! TOTE DISPLAY | CONTROL PANEL DYNAMIC DISPLAYj UlSfLftT j |LH3rLHI | I CONTROLLER (Sj (1) should not require any major change in existing flying or airtraffic control procedures; (2) could be used without additional special equipment in aircraft or in adjacent air traffic controlcentres; (3) in the event of emergencies could be overruled at any time by the controllers; (4) should be able to deal with all types ofaircraft; (5) should be adaptable to particular control centres and airports; (6) should be gradually introduced into the present sys-tem, building up eventually to an integrated, fully automatic one; and (7) should at all times be guaranteed to "fail-safe." The SATCO system starts its operation either when a pilot'sflight plan is filed or when a telex message is received from the departure airfield. For en route control, the input information maycome from the radar to which the system is coupled, a telephone message from an adjacent A.T.C.C. or a position report from theaircraft. « Initial flight data is fed into the system either by manual tele-printer or by the automatic data transfer equipment over the telex lines; but it is not brought into operation until positive informationis obtained of the entry of the aircraft into the system or of the aircraft's readiness to take off. When this information is receivedthe controller inserts a "correction" to the original flight plan or departure message. This insertion activates the system and causesthe computer to make its calculations. It then calculates the expected time of arrival of the aircraft at the reporting positionsalong its route, checks this flight path against the flight paths of other aircraft already in the system, discovers whether there isa conflict or not and, if there is, calculates a flight path for the aircraft which will be free of conflicts and which will be as nearto the original flight plan as possible. The results of these calculations (which are computed withintwo seconds) are displayed to the controller both on a "tote" type of display—showing the call-sign, type, height, etc. of the aircraft—and on the dynamic "clear-view" P.P.I, display which shows the position of the aircraft in three dimensions. Each aircraftunder control is identified by special symbols. At the same time the data is printed out automatically on a form of progress stripwhich is intended as a legal record for filing rather than for operational use. The progress of the aircraft through the system is subsequentlychecked either by position reports from the aircraft itself, or by radar. In the case of position reports from the aircraft the con-troller must insert the corrections manually into the system which will then recalculate and, if necessary, correct the clearances. Inthe case of radar corrections, the data is fed automatically into the system, which again will correct the clearances and warn thecontroller of any changes that may have to be made. The auto- matic functioning of the radar system is achieved by the use ofspecial long-range 10 cm tracking radars linked with SGR 200 25 cm surveillance radar. The former is to have automatic "lock-on" devices to check a sequence of tracks, and an initial detection range of up to 180 miles. The long-range surveillance equipment,fitted with variable-speed Moving Target Indication to reduce weather clutter, would have a discrimination of up to 200 miles.Provision is also made for the automatic input of data derived from airborne navigation equipment. Transfer of control of the aircraft—for inbound aircraft to theapproach control of its destination, for outbound or overflying aircraft to the adjacent control centre—is carried out by a simplepush-button process on the tpte display panel. This interrogates The basic air traffic computing element of SATCO can be combined with airfield and surveillance radar, data link with aircraft and com- munication equipment to form the integrated system shown in this block diagram. J •!
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