Dec. 19, 2008 -- If you're prone to anxiety on airplanes, you just might want to keep your eyes closed during takeoffs and landings: Soon, that aircraft out your window might actually BE as close as it appears. As part of a plan to ease air traffic around the buzzing skies of New York City, Newark Liberty International Airport is becoming the first major airport in the nation to test a GPS-assisted system for routing aircraft to and from the runways. The Ground Based Augmentation System, nicknamed GBAS, won't replace traditional radar -- at least not in the immediate future -- but if the test proves successful, the technology should compensate for radar's shortcomings, particularly in bad weather, and allow for less elbow room in the skies. "This system will give us good-weather capability in bad-weather days," William DeCota, the aviation director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told Discovery News. When visibility is hampered by rain, fog or snow, air traffic slows because it takes longer for pilots to get a view of the runway for landing. Rather than relying on radio-fed landing aids on the ground, the new system uses satellite signals augmented by ground-based antennas and a centrally located VHF transmitter to give pilots necessary information for landing. Related Content: How Stuff Works: GPS GPS 'Spoofing' Could Threaten Security Moon GPS to Help Guide Astronauts Data from the system currently in use can be compromised by radio interference, blocked channels and obstacles, such as by buildings, according to Eric Perrin, project manager of a European GBAS project by an air safety organization known as EUROCONTROL, which has been testing a system at regional airports near Frankfurt, Germany, and Toulouse, France, since 2006. Also, each runway needs to be outfitted with instruments to relay approach and landing data to pilots. With GBAS, "within a meter, you get this absolutely accurate approach signal," DeCota said. For now, FAA rules will keep aircraft about three miles apart, but if the new technology delivers on its promise, those zones could be narrowed considerably. "There's a lot of friction built into the system so that we can assure safety in an environment that uses radar, controller directions and pilot execution," DeCota said. In addition to inclement weather landings, GBAS also would enable pilots to approach runways from curved paths, rather than flying only in straight approach corridors used today, easing traffic pileups. Get More NewsMouse Cloned From Long-Frozen CellResearchers create a mouse from a long-frozen cell. Will the mammoth be next?'Bubble' Could Protect AstronautsScientists say a "bubble" around a Mars-bound spaceship could protect astronauts.Big Reduction of Snowmobiles in Yellowstone ProposedA new plan would cut snowmobile use by 40 percent in Yellowstone.Microbes: Fuel of the Future?A reddish South American microbe is literally breathing fuel, say scientists.DNA Links Remains to Steve FossetDNA tests on two bones found in California confirm they are those of Steve Fossett.Women Carry More Bacteria Than MenSome bacteria prefer women, suggests a new study. But why?Ancient 'Water Monster' Facing ExtinctionA foot-long salamander that was a key part of Aztec legend is threatened by extinction.Grand Canyon's Youth ConfirmedThe Grand Canyon is millions of years younger than previously thought, argue geologists.My Take: E-Voting Not User FriendlyOpinion: Electronic voting machines don't always capture the intent of voters.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.At 40, Brain and Body SlowThe part of the brain in charge of motion starts a gradual slide in middle age.Spiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates. |
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