Efforts by the US Federal Aviation Administration to develop and deploy the next-generation digital air-to-ground communications system could be delayed by budget cuts, US aviation agency officials have warned.
For now, controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC), a key element of the FAA's "free flight" programme, remains on track despite funding cuts since its inception. Project manager Jim Williams says work has continued by shifting funds, but "eventually this will catch up to us if we see significant cuts in fiscal year 2001". He adds: "It would then be difficult to maintain the schedule."
CPDLC will form the future basis for communications between pilots and air traffic controllers, being faster and more reliable than current analogue voice communications and alleviating radio frequency congestion. The FAA's government-industry CPDLC programme includes Boeing, Eurocontrol, Rockwell Collins and ARINC. American Airlines has committed Boeing 767s to Build I CPDLC trials at Miami air route traffic control centre from June 2002. The year-long test will use very high frequency datalink mode 2 (VDL Mode-2).
National deployment of the next stage Build 1A to all 20 domestic ARTCCs is planned from June 2003. Build 1A will increase the en route CPDLC service to 18 aeronautical telecommunication network (ATN)-compliant operational service messages.
CPDLC Build II, which will also use VDL Mode 2, will offer the full complement of ATN-compliant services, including oceanic and en route communications, with national implementation planned from December 2004.
The schedule for the more ambitious Build III, which will use VDL Mode 3 and will include the terminal environment, is yet to be determined, says Williams.
Source: Flight International
