The airline industry continues to expand rapidly,
which calls for new and improved technologies. With the growth of
technology and handheld devices, passengers are turning to their mobile
phones to accomplish self-service capabilities in airports. Whether it
be checking into flights or displaying boarding passes, it is
anticipated that the airport industry will see a turn towards
automation and self-service technology. The same holds true for
airport control towers.
For decades, enormous control
towers have been considered obstructions in the airfields and as a
result, they have become one of the first tasks on the agenda for
airport technology improvements. Inexpensive and safer
remote-controlled towers are becoming more popular. This has the
potential to uproot the older collision avoidance systems that ruled
the airfields in the form of tall control towers.
The newer, low-rise control
towers offer features unparalleled in existing airfield
technology. For example, live, 360° video footage can be
displayed and monitored on floor-to-ceiling screens that comprise the
towers. These towers can be miles away from an airfield and yield more
precise monitoring than traditional on-location towers. The FAA
(Federal Aviation Administration) already issued plans instigating
development of up to 200 remote control towers that are intended to
enhance passenger safety and provide more cost-effective travel.
Architectural and engineering
firms as well as audiovisual designers engaging in research and
development efforts to create video enhanced control towers are now
eligible for R&D tax credits.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
Enacted in 1981, the federal
Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit allows a credit of up to
13% of eligible spending for new and improved products and processes.
Qualified research must meet the following four criteria:
New or improved products, processes, or software
Technological in nature
Elimination of uncertainty
Process of experimentation
Eligible costs include employee
wages, cost of supplies, cost of testing, contract research expenses,
and costs associated with developing a patent. On December 18,
2015, President Obama signed the bill making the R&D Tax Credit
permanent. Beginning in 2016, the R&D credit can be used to offset
Alternative Minimum tax and start-up businesses can utilize the credit
against $250,000 per year in payroll taxes.
How Remote-Controlled Airport Towers Work
Airports around the world
are interested in adopting remote towers that are located miles away
from the monitored location. These new locations include ordinary,
low-rise buildings that are inexpensive to build and maintain in
comparison to traditional, tall control towers situated directly on
airfields. Although the traditional towers carry an aesthetic
beauty that sets airports apart from each other, a shift towards remote
towers will provide more long term benefits for airports.
The remote towers receive live
video feeds from countless cameras situated at a designated airfield.
The computer software stitches together the images and displays them on
a screen that mimics a virtual view of the runway and taxiways.
Facilities can incorporate separate screens to monitor different
airfields at the same time, especially if one remote tower is employed
to control inbound and outbound flights from a number of airports.
When an aircraft descends into a
non-towered airport, it remains under the control of an approach
control facility until it is under radar coverage. When under radar
control, the controller is responsible for maintaining the aircraft
separation from other aircrafts. The controller must also provide
advisories concerning how the aircraft is operating around the airport
traffic patterns while complying with the visual flight rules.
It is expected that the
remote-control towers would utilize surface radar and ADS-B (automatic
dependent surveillance – broadcast) data alongside that from camera ,
infrared, and other sensors . All these resources can be pooled and
consolidated into one facility, which several airports can share. This
will result in costly savings for the airports and improve safety and
security features, as will be discussed in the proceeding sections.
Advantages to Remote-Control Air Traffic Towers
The primary reason American
airports are seeking alternatives via remote-controlled towers is
because of the continuous fiscal negotiations and budget cuts
instigated by the FAA. Implementing remote-controlled towers can
decrease the cost of managing air traffic by 20-30%, according to
FinancialTimes.com (May 2017). The towers permit airport traffic
control to better monitor flights and save money during production as
well as operation.
Furthermore, adopting the remote
traffic towers may reduce expenses for airports to build and maintain
tall control structures. Presently, the operation of a single tower
amounts to approximately $500,000 per year. Multiply that by the number
of airports in the U.S. as evidence to why the FAA keeps scrutinizing
and minimizing airport budgets. In June 2016, the FAA committed to
investing in a new air traffic control tower at the Charlotte Douglas,
N.C., international airport. Constructing the new, 370-foot tower with
radar approach control and demolishing the old one totaled for a $60
million contract. The budget was expanded to $112 million to also cover
equipment, installation and training costs, and demolition of the old
tower. The project begins in 2018 and the tower should be operating by
2020. This expensive price tag can be eliminated by resorting to
remote control towers.
Returns of investment on
developing remote control towers are high. ROI is anticipated to amount
to $1.3 million annually in direct revenue generation. Whereas all
maintenance costs for traditional control towers amount to $500,000 per
year, it is anticipated that an airport will only have to cover
maintenance and support costs after implementing a remote-control
tower. These costs are significantly less, at approximately $190,000
per year.
Towers at large airports require
elevators, HVAC units, fire suppression systems, and space for all of
the controllers as well as staff. Tower development ranges in the
millions, depending on the extent of the renovation or building itself.
For example, in 2013, Oakland, CA opened a new tower for $51 million.
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, a smaller facility, created a new
tower for significantly less, at $15.4 million. Regardless of these
costs, SAAB, an innovator of remote-control towers, ensures its system
is “significantly less,” although it will not release the price tag to
the public.
Remote-controlled towers may be
more feasible to maintain for low-activity airports, especially since
these new towers centralize and consolidate operations so the airport
is not concerned with operational costs for on-premise towers. This
would especially be the case for the 147 airport control towers in
America that were slated for closure during sequestration. Many
of these towers are not required for their respected airports to
function safely, successfully, and effectively. That is why a viable
middle ground of a remote-controlled tower serving several airports
would be the most beneficial alternative.
Safety is expected to improve
from utilizing remote control towers. Naturally, remote towers have a
more enhanced view of not only the airport but also the surrounding
area. This is because the towers rely on an abundance of cameras placed
strategically around the airfield. The cameras have different features,
such as panning or zooming, and infrared capabilities. The infrared
cameras are beneficial to detect temperature differences that will
determine if an animal is on the runway, especially at night when
visibility is significantly limited. Finally, laser rangefinders are
incorporated to determine the distance of approaching aircrafts. This
prevents collisions or wing clippings. After all, images from the many
cameras are superimposed on the screens alongside audio to create a
dynamic, real-time 360-degree view of the airfield.i
A 2016 Remote Towers Conference
in London, England, defined several of the impacts resulting from the
use of remote air traffic control towers. They can be found in
the lists below.
Social
Impacts
Probable reduction in jobs/positions for ATCOs, ATSEPs,
Technicians, & Administrative Support
Different layouts and weather patterns when ATCOs are
required to certify on multiple aerodromes
Simultaneous operations
Maintenance responsibilities
Equipment reliability, resilience, redundancy
Fall-back mode/contingency
Visual quality, frame rate
Lack of global regulation from ICAO
Positive
Effects on Remote Tower Center
Improved working environment (it becomes a center rather
than single-person operation)
More desirable community/geographic location to live in
Increased pay (a direct result of multiple aerodrome ratings
and certifications)
Positive
Effects on Airports
Enhanced service and safety
Increased available positions
Provision of cost-efficient Air Traffic Services
Greatly benefits airports with low traffic density
Good alternative to new construction/refurbishment
ATS on demand (flexible hours to meet customer requirements)
Low cost contingency solutions
Airports Incorporating Remote Control Towers
Various airports around the
world are beginning to install remote control towers that provide less
expensive and safer means of air traffic control. In America, the
infrastructure program proposed by President Trump includes a plan to
privatize the FAA. If accomplished, FAA privatization should
accelerate implementation of the invaluable video technology of remote
control towers throughout the U.S.
Already, NASA and the Department
of Transportation’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems
Center are researching the prospect of staffing these virtual towers
and improving remote tower sensing capabilities. Other airports in the
world are engaging in similar R&D efforts.
Sweden
In 2015, the Ornskoldsvik airport
became one of the first in the world to implement a virtual control
tower. The tower was built in conjunction with Sweden’s air-navigation
agency, called LFV Group, and Saab, a large Swedish technology firm.
The original tower was closed down as the controllers relocated to a
remote tower about 80 miles from the facility. In 2016, the tower began
monitoring another airfield at a local airport, Sundsvall-Timra. Sweden
eventually plans to utilize this tower to monitor several larger
airports in the country.
The Sundsvall Remote Tower Center
passed the Single European Sky ATM Research acceptance testing back in
February, 2013.viii By 2016, this tower was not only monitoring the
Sundsvall-Timra airport, but also the Harnosand and Ornskoldsvik
airports. It became the first remote tower certified for operational
use.
Ireland
Beginning in June 2016, Ireland
invested in Saab engineered remote tower technology to provide air
traffic control services for the Cock and Shannon airports. These
remote sites were connected to the centralized control room in Dublin.
The IAA, Irish Aviation Authority, conducted 50 demonstrations to test
the effectiveness and efficiency of remote towers. They concluded that
“the tests were highly successful and with carefully designed
procedures, it will almost certainly be possible to allow one
controller to simultaneously provide services for more than one low
volume aerodrome.”viii
Norway
The Bodo tower, located a couple
miles above the Arctic Circle, monitors 32 of the 45 airports run by
Norway’s state-owned airport operator.i Norway, known for its strong
storms, has continuous difficulty monitoring flights from the old
control towers, which forces many flight cancellations. With the new
tower, Norway consolidated air traffic control to a single location
that is capable of dealing with extreme weather conditions while more
effectively monitoring flight and airport conditions. This ensures
safer travel for all monitored airports. Norway boasts a 30-40%
reduction in overall air traffic service expenses, which trickles into
lowering fees for airlines and making fares more inexpensive for
passengers.i
United
States
The remote tower test located in
Leesburg, Virginia is the first of its kind to be introduced in the
United States. Swedish company Saab teamed with the Virginia Department
of Aviation to demonstrate and evaluate its remote air traffic control
tower. The FAA is currently evaluating the technology in the tower,
which may eventually lead to remote tower services being adopted in
airports throughout the country.
This tower employs a high
definition camera and sensors to control airports that are offsite.
This will be especially beneficial for airports that do not have their
own towers. Testing of this new tower will occur throughout the summer
of 2017.
Another remote tower test is
anticipated for Ft. Collins Airport in Colorado, 50 miles from Denver.
The airport currently has no air traffic control tower nor scheduled
commercial air service. However, it has 100,000 operations per year,
with 96% being general aviation traffic, and traffic from 3 flight
schools.viii This is an ideal location to test the effectiveness of
remote air traffic control towers.
Companies Involved in Remote Control Tower R&D
Saab, Sweden
Saab, the Swedish technology
company, dedicated a sub-division to the production of towers in Saab
Digital Air Traffic Solutions. The company is transforming the entire
landscape of air traffic control and airport technologies. Their
systems incorporate cameras with advanced night vision capability,
image processing, target tracking, and overlay of information on high
definition monitors.
The CEO of Saab Digital Air
Traffic Solutions explains, “We can drive the whole process forward
from planning to commissioning remote air traffic control. We offer
smart digital solutions so that data can be used in several locations
to streamline traffic flows around an airport, both in the air and on
the ground.” Similarly, Saab was contracted by NATS, the UK’s
leading provider of air traffic control, to install a demo remote tower
at the Swanwick Control Centre. The company has also brought test
installations to locations in Australia, the US, Netherlands, Norway,
and Ireland. The different features of the remote towers were tested in
each of these locations to determine the towers’ effectiveness in
handling an array of adverse conditions. For example, in Australia, the
tower was located in Adelaide but serviced an airport in Alice Springs,
1,500 kilometers, or 932 miles, away.
Avinor, Norway
Avinor Air Navigation Services is
a Norwegian company geared to provide aerodrome control and approach
control services to airports. Recently, it has begun efforts to
build remote towers that specifically benefit numerous Norwegian
airports from a single location.
Avinor already operates 46 small
and large airports in the country. The airport traffic per facility
varies, but Avinor is convinced that once it builds the remote towers,
airports with limited traffic would greatly benefit from these
services. Furthermore, the new towers will have more flexible opening
hours than in today’s control towers. This will greatly benefit the
airports and their customers.
Searidge
Technologies Inc, Canada
Searidge Technologies is a
Canadian-based technology company that emerged as a leader in air
navigation control. Its primary goal is to reduce cost and safely
manage air travel. It also developed the first surface surveillance
system for air traffic control. The system processes video footage from
a series of sensors networked together. This provides targeting
guidance for all flight-related objects. The real-time targeting
provides a new level of awareness that increases safety. The modular
design of the tower is scalable to grow with the airport as well.
Conclusion
The evolution of air traffic
control enables increasing amounts of airports to reduce their costs of
operation as well as provide ease of mind for passengers aboard
remotely monitored flights. The remote systems provide quality traffic
control at a fraction of the production and operation costs, also
providing consumers with the potential opportunity of diminished travel
costs. Airport architectural, engineering, and audiovisual designers
engaging in research and development efforts to revolutionize American
transport hubs with video enhanced remote air traffic control towers
are now eligible for R&D federal tax credits.
