Air Traffic Control: Remote Radar For Grand Junction

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Government Accountability Office
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Air Traffic Control Facilities Aviation Safety Benefit Cost Analysis Community Concerns Cost Effectiveness Decision Making Grand Junction (Colorado) Navigation Radar Radar Stations Remote Radar Data Terminal Radar Approach Control

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  GAO/RCED-97-22
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/1402967
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Government Accountability Office
• Abstract:
  In 1983, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began a nationwide program of consolidating air traffic control facilities to gain the benefits of automation and any attendant cost savings. As part of this program, FAA conducted several studies between 1992 and 1995 to determine the most cost-effective way to handle the radar-based air traffic control activities for the airport located at Grand Junction, Colorado. The studies focused on two options: (1) a local option that would establish a terminal radar approach control facility in Grand Junction and (2) a long-distance option, referred to as "remoting," wherein the radar signal from the radar installation at Grand Junction would be transmitted and monitored at a terminal radar approach control facility located approximately 250 miles east in Denver, Colorado. In June 1995, FAA announced its final decision to remote the signal from the Grand Junction radar installation to a terminal radar approach control facility at Denver. At the request of Congress, the General Accounting Office examined some concerns that representatives of the city of Grand Junction had raised about FAA's decision. As agreed with Congress, GAO developed information to respond to three specific questions: (1) Did FAA choose the most cost-effective option for handling radar-based air traffic control activities at Grand Junction? (2) Would the safety and efficiency of the air traffic control system be compromised by remoting radar data and contracting out tower operations at Grand Junction? (3) What can be done to improve FAA's process for determining when and where to remote radar data?
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ec697627af975067e1dba8eaa7f521479e93a74806a0b8c93525b2de77b22fe5516645781bb84fdf401740b0df7f90a42e714b0f5bfa01c61f6f6e976ec13410
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/12538/dot_12538_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 170.43 KB ]