Runway status lights
Runway status lights (RWSL) is a fully automatic advisory safety system as a part of an ongoing effort to explore new technologies to increase safety during airport ground operations.[1]
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[edit] Development
The Federal Aviation Administration as part of its runway incursion reduction program and under United States Air Force contract number F19 F19628-00-C-002 has sponsored the development of this system. The Lincoln Laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology is tasked to oversee the development of this program.[2]
The concept appears to have been originated by a United Airlines pilot, Paul Michelotti, who began working on a runway warning system following a tragic collision at Tenerife Airport, Canary Islands on March 27, 1977. He was subsequently awarded US Patent 4,481,516 entitled "Low Visibilty Runway Monitor" on Nov. 6, 1984 and the patent makes reference to the Tenerife accident.[3]
In the Fall of 1985, a group of engineers at General Electric Research in Utica, NY formed Sensis Corporation which became the primary developer of the revised and implemented system. Sensis was acquired by Saab AB in 2011.
[edit] Description of the system
The lights, which turn red on the centerline of a taxiway or runway, advise pilots on their movement status. Runway entrance lights (RELs) illuminate when it is unsafe to enter the runway. Takeoff Hold Lights (THLs) illuminate when an aircraft is on the runway but it is unsafe to take off, due to other traffic movements on the runway. Although the lights will turn off once an aircraft has cleared the obstructing position, THLs turning off does not constitute a clearance to take off from a runway.
In the August 3, 2006 Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) [1], the FAA describes the system:
- RWSL is an advisory system for use by pilots and vehicle operators and helps maintain situational awareness. It operates independently of Air Traffic Control. Status lights have two states: ON (lights are illuminated red) and OFF (lights are off) and are switched automatically based on information from the airport surface surveillance systems. These surveillance systems include airport surveillance radars (ASRs), surface detection radars (ASDE-3 or ASDE-X) and multilateration information from the ASDE-X surveillance system.
[edit] System Locations
Both THLs and RELs are currently being tested in the United States at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport with RELs also being tested at San Diego International Airport. The system was activated on 7 July 2010 at Boston Logan International Airport as well. McCarran International Airport has also installed the system.
[edit] References
- ^ "Runway Status Lights". 2006-09-27. http://www.rwsl.net/. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
- ^ "Runway Status Lights". 2006-09-27. http://www.rwsl.net/. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
- 3. Airline Pilot Magazine, May 2005
[edit] External links
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