[FASVIGcoord]

FASVIG announces plans to carry out a trial of real-time traffic displays for Air Traffic Services (ATS) at UK general aviation (GA) airfields.

Real-time traffic displays based on ADS-B have the potential capability to enhance GA airfield ATS situational awareness and flight safety. The aim of the trial is to gather evidence to enable the CAA to assess this capability and give consideration to authorising use of ADS-B real-time traffic displays by GA ATS units. Additionally, it is hoped this trial will encourage further development of technology to support ATS provision at UK GA airfields.

Read the full press release here: http://fasvig.org/ats-traffic-display-trial-to-be-launched-at-uk-ga-airfields

[Paul_Sengupta]

Some airfields already (unofficially) have this using a PilotAware.

[Irv Lee]

In the old days of training and GA at Southampton, I do remember Southampton tower got extremely and suddenly grumpy overnight when they got a radar repeater in the tower and could see properly what was going on.

[chevvron]

Won't be a lot of good to small GA airfields unless it shows ALL traffic using 'real' radar as many aircraft at small GA airfields do not transmit ADS-B.
Why not provide a 'slave' ATM at small airfields fed from the nearest radar equipped airfield? Not as cheap maybe but far more useful to all airspace users and ATSUs.
I've been suggesting this ever since I moved from Farnborough to Fairoaks but as usual, nobody has listened to me and now FASVIG has come up with a similar idea albeit not radar based.
Having said all that, I hope Fairoaks will be considered to participate in the trial as it might hopefully reduce the amount of coordination necessary between Fairoaks and Farnborough.

[Paul_Sengupta]

ATM feed from radar, £xxxk + £100k a year?

PilotAware + Tablet, £300 + £14.40 a year?

[chevvron]

ATM feed from radar, £xxxk + £100k a year?

PilotAware + Tablet, £300 + £14.40 a year?

I presume the '£100k per year' for radar' is BT llne rental and NATS rental for providing radar information.
BT charge a lot because radar feeds for ATC purposes require high grade lines which have a standby which comes via a different route ie at least two 'pairs'; this wouldn't be needed for small airfields as it would only be used to observe traffic not to control it (assuming we're talking about ADV only or AFIS airfields).

[Paul_Sengupta]

Put an internet web cam on a radar screen...

[malcolmfrost]

This doesn't appear to be any different from the NATS AE iPad app released a few months ago. If they could put Primary returns on as well as Mode A/C that would be brilliant.

[dont overfill]

A similar system has already been installed in some airfields in Scotland. Not just GA fields.

It looks like flightradar 24, but with multiple receivers for much improved accuracy.

I wonder if the NATS system has made it out of date already?

[joe-fbs]

The free NATS iPad (no other platform) app' is good fun but appears to me that it uses only Mode S so (grossly?) under displays light GA traffic. Is that correct?

[dont overfill]

The free NATS iPad (no other platform) app' is good fun but appears to me that it uses only Mode S so (grossly?) under displays light GA traffic. Is that correct?

I don't have an I Pad but on reading the blurb I thought you could see primary contacts as well. Maybe that will be next year with the £100000 app upgrade.

[Straight Level]

Wheelwright before the cart before the horse comes to mind.
How about a trial / permanent arrangement to allow certified aircraft fitted with certified / transponder / gps kit to transmit ADSB
I still have the problem of no STC for the AC /gps /transponder combination.

Having that fixed first, might actually then be worth having ATS displays ??
SL

[Squadgy]

I asked a couple of questions on the Facebook post announcing this, but will ask here also

What is the process for units to sign up to the trial please?

Can you confirm what units the trial will be open to? How is a GA Airfield ATS Unit defined (is it an ATC unit without Radar, or an AFIS unit)?


The Association of UK Flight Information Service Officers have a forthcoming meeting where I think it would be useful for this to be presented and for units to buy in to the idea - would anyone from the project be available ?

[velostar]

As PA does not transmit ADSB without being connected to a transponder, the ADSB feed will be missing a large part of the fleet that has gone ahead with PA. On the other side of this equation, with PA not embracing the industry standard for ADSB out, there is reduced benefit from these official trials.

Totally agree with the point above - make it simpler to have ADSB out for all otherwise this starts to feel like a race between VHS and Betamax.

[vintage ATCO]

I run an ADS-B receiver system at every event I do and I am not convinced. On the move I use a RTL1090 dongle, not the best but I do use a decent antenna. At Old Warden we use my old Kinetic SBS-1 with a not so good antenna (yet). As well as receiving local traffic I receive plots from the internet (PlanePlotter).

Even local traffic is not always where it is supposed to be. Whether this is down to the receiver or antenna I am not sure. Sometimes we see traffic (out of the window) that is not showing on the SBS but is showing on one of the iPhone applications). At home I have a Kinetic Puck connected to a roof antenna and again it is not always right.

I have never seen a situation where I felt it would be a good idea to intercede if allowed.