The Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) Joint Undertaking has reported the successful validation of its multiple remote tower concept. Part of Sesar 2020 (Horizon 2020), Project PJ05 aims to refine the use of remote towers to the point thatseveral can be managed from one place, leading to significant savings.
In November 2017 Frequentis, HungaroControl, DLR and Selex (a Leonardo subsidiary) conducted the first successful validation campaign along these lines, centered on DLR’s Air Traffic Validation Center in Braunschweig, Germany. On this occasion a single tower controlled three airports simultaneously.
“In a human-in-the-loop real-time simulation, seven Hungarian civil and military controllers managed up to 30 movements per hour at three Hungarian airports; Budapest, Papa, and Debrecen,” reported the four companies/organizations in a statement.
The controllers were provided with an integrated multi-tower position that provided all the relevant information via a new planning tool, a Frequentis electronic flight strip solution called SmartSTRIPS, and a “stitched” out-of-the-window view combining views from on-site cameras with radar and other information. Even wind shear information was provided, by Selex, and integrated into the displays.
DLR researchers and Frequentis human-factors experts noted and assessed controllers’ eye movements, the level of situational awareness they experienced and workload, along with acceptance, efficiency, and safety in handling traffic situations. With this, they will be able to draw conclusions about the overall operational feasibility of the concept and the design of the controller working position.
Later this year, the second part of the simulation campaign will be carried out at DLR, and later real-life validation will be carried out at Budapest Airport. This will use the Frequentis smartVISION system, working in conjunction with HungaroControl and Selex.