Phoenix Airports Studying Surface Alert Technology

Honeywell Aerospace and the Phoenix Aviation Department have signed an agreement to study adding Surface Alert (SURF-A) to ground vehicles at Phoenix Sky Harbor International (KPHX), Goodyear (KGYR), and Deer Valley (KDVT) airports. 

With the ability to send real-time aural and visual alerts to pilots when their aircraft is on a trajectory to collide with another aircraft on the same runway, SURF-A, combined with a digital airport map, will “bolster operators’ real-time situational awareness,” according to Honeywell. This will be the first time airports use this collision-avoidance technology on ground vehicles, and it uses GPS, ADS-B, and software analytics “to pinpoint the exact location of traffic hazards up to 30 seconds before impact.”

Ground vehicle operators will get the same aural alerts and “traffic on runway” alerts that pilots receive in SURF-A-equipped aircraft. Testing is set to begin this month and be completed by year-end.

“This is a new frontier in runway safety,” said Honeywell Aerospace president and CEO of electronic solutions Bob Buddecke. “Pilots need direct alerts of potential runway collisions, but so do fire truck, ambulance, and other drivers that can be at risk of a high-speed collision on a runway. Airport vehicle operators have been asking for this technology because an early alert can mean the difference between a safe pass and a major collision.”