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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 0607.PDF
Moving from voice to datalink communications could solif/e controller workload problems communication and airborne equipment devel-j Eurocontrol. Traditional methods of contain- opment, testing, installation and integration activities are planned. This period will include pre-operational trials and implementation of datalink services at selected airports. The European air navigation organisation's blueprint for ATM development - ATM Strategy for 2000+ - identifies datalink as a key enabler for the decade. Europe is pinning its hopes on the technology in the belief that it will contribute to the extra capacity that will be required. It also satisfies the industry need for ATS automation and the need for a global com munication standard for ATS. The technology promises much. It is expect ed to reduce communications workload for air traffic controllers and pilots, increase commu nication reliability and allow the exchange of information between airborne and ground- based systems. In turn, the reduced communi cations workload is expected to facilitate increased airspace capacity and reduced delays, both of which are vital for Europe. The principal limitation on ATM capacity is controller workload, of which a substantial part is due to handling radio/telephony (R/T). The limit to sector capacity today is often the con troller's R/T workload, according to '•••>'* FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20 - 26 February 2001 ing this workload problem by increasing sectors and number of controllers are no longer prov ing effective in certain areas of Europe. To increase capacity beyond this point requires operational improvements that can increase ATC productivity, with controller-pilot datalinkcommunications (CPDLC) for routine communications between controller and pilot seen as the most promising tool to achieve this. Air/ground datalink can reduce the controller's and pilot's workload through a decrease in R/T traffic. In turn, this benefit can be exploited by increasing the airspace covered by one sector. Eurocontrol stresses, however, that "this is a long process, which starts by building up the controller's and the pilot's confidence in the new communication medium and which can gradu ally lead to increased sector capacity". Datalink is also expected to contribute to higher safety levels through the availability of a second communication channel, fewer errors and reduced pilot and controller fatigue. Radio communications have a number of drawbacks in a busy air traffic environment, Eurocontrol points out. Pilots have to listen to every con troller-initiated communication, even though only one in 20 of these is addressed to the flight in question. In addition, a limited understand ing of the English language and regional accents frequently cause misunderstandings. An elec tronic or hard copy of the message in the cock pit is expected to reduce errors. KEY TOOL Datalink is also seen as the key tool for the automation of ATC services and as a stepping stone to more advanced applications. Without datalink communications, the delay situation in Europe will worsen - increasing by 25% a year until 2005 and 10% each year from 2 005 to 2 010 - according to the business case for Link 2000+, which was conducted by the Boeing-led airline grouping, the CNS/ ATM Focus Team (C/AFT), and developed with air lines, airline associations, ATS providers, air craft manufacturers, aeronautical communication providers, Eurocontrol and the US Federal Aviation Administration. From 2000-2020, the business case shows a benefit to cost ratio of 4:1. The investment is concentrated largely in the first seven years, with benefits mainly generated by AOC appli cations, and greatest after 2007 when ATC applications start to contribute, says the study. Upgrading an Airborne Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS)- equipped aircraft to VDL-2 is expected to cost around €150,000 ($138,000) as a retrofit and €90,000 as a forward-fit, while the Link 2000+ services update cost is estimated to be € 100,000 per VDL-2-equipped aircraft. Upgrading all CAPACITY GAIN BASED ON RATE OF EQUIPAGE % Rate of datalink equipage 0% 50% 75% ' 100% Source: C/AFT European datalink investment analysis t Workload reduction 0% 16% 22% 29% •LfLMHRi^XE^MSLlLMLflH^ISSL^B 25% 50% 75% 100% Based on a traffic sample from April 1999 Source: C/AFT European datalink investment analysis 3.4% 8% 11% 14% Capacity gain 0% 8% 11% 14% ATFM delay reduction 10% 31% 44% 53% 39
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