ACSS is tackling the problem of runway incursion accidents with the public launch of SafeRoute, a system it says is a "giant leap" ahead of its main competitor.
Its new SafeRoute software suite, which will be certified by mid-2007, features a surface area movement management (SAMM) system that uses ADS--B digital datalink technology to not only show a pilot where he is on a runway or taxiway, but where other aircraft are as well.
ACSS (on the L-3 display at Hall 3, B2) hopes to announce its launch customer during the show and says that the worldwide market for SafeRoute is "huge".
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President Kris Ganase says this additional capability offers pilots an even better picture of what is happening around them.
SAMM shows flight crews their position on an airport surface map and by using other aircraft's ADS-B transmissions, plus TIS-B and CDTI data, can display the position of other aircraft on the map as well.
ACSS is a joint venture company set up by L-3 Communications and Thales.
Ganase says: "We hope to fly the product by the end of 2006. As SafeRoute is software based it can be added as an upgrade to our existing ACSS TCAS products, including T2CAS, TCAS 3000, or TCAS 2000, or it can be hosted within a competitor's system.
Mandate
"There is currently no mandate for the compulsory use of products like this, but runway incursion accidents are the No 1 item on the NTSB's safety agenda.
"As SafeRoute is software based and platform independent, it makes good sense to add it to an existing TCAS system."
Ganase adds that SafeRoute has cost-saving implications too. "If a pilot has a better picture of how many aircraft are taxiing and queuing to take off he can make a more informed decision as to whether he should start the engines or APU," Ganase adds.
ACSS is also working on other enhancements for SafeRoute, including extending its capabilities to show the total airspace around a terminal. This would give pilots a birds-eye view of aircraft movements in and around an airport.
Show visitors can see a demonstration of SafeRoute on the ACSS stand.
STEVE NICHOLS
Source: Flight Daily News
