Suggestions for Improving Runway Safety

							Suggestions for Improving Runway Safety

                David Lotterer
          Regional Airline Association

        NTSB Runway Incursion Forum
              March 27, 2007
                                       Regional Airline Association


    Introduction to Regional Airlines
• Regional operators transport 23% of domestic airline
  passengers (scheduled service)
• Regional airlines operate one third (2,700 aircraft) of the
  commercial airline fleet and operate 47 percent of the
  scheduled flights (lower 48) (5.4 million flights in 2005)
   – 2,200 operate in Part 121 (1,700 are RJ’s, 500 are turboprops)
   – 500 operate in Part 135
• RAA represents 45 members who operate the larger
  fleets and aircraft types within the regional network.
                                              Regional Airline Association

    RAA Committees- Active in Promoting
      Safety and Sharing Best Practices

•   Safety Director Committee
•   Ramp Safety Working Group
•   Flight Technology Committee
•   Regional Operations Council
•   In-Flight Committee

• Annual Forums (e.g. Memphis, TN, May 21-24, 2007)
• Member’s only Web Site:
    – Post Best Practices, particularly for Ramp Safety
• Hot Button Program
    – Sharing best practices, safety and regulatory concerns
                                Regional Airline Association



    CAST Safety Enhancement 51
RAA members commitment to:

• Standard Operating Procedures – Runway Incursion
  Prevention (completed)
• Recommended best practice for mechanics and others
  who tow or otherwise move aircraft within the airport
  movement area.
• FAA provided CD (Taxi 101) as guidance for
  mechanics and others who move aircraft within
  airport movement areas.
                                                    Regional Airline Association



    Best Practice – Maintenance Taxi Operations

•   Training: Class room instruction (Taxi 101), followed by OJT for run-ups and taxi.
    Recommended training- Have the mechanic perform five OJT engine run-ups, five
    OJT rides, then a check ride.
•   Airport Tower/Airline Agreement: Develop a plan to keep the communication
    process readily understandable. E.g. provide for unique call signs for maintenance
    taxi operations. Select call signs so that they are not confused with runway or
    taxiway designators (i.e. REPO Blue 2, REPO Red 4 etc.). Use a different call sign
    for each movement.
•   Aircraft Tracking (for ASDE-X radar equipped airports) Assign unique transponder
    codes to the call signs (i.e. REPO White 6 is permanently assigned xpdr code
    1235). The aircraft taxi with the transponder and altitude reporting "ON". Each
    repositioning aircraft is then displayed with an identifying tag on the ASDE-X ATC
    radar.
•   Simplify Aircraft Taxi Routes: Avoid runway crossings whenever possible.
    Operator should take a slightly longer route if fewer runways crossing can be
    avoided. Airport should assign higher priority to aircraft repositioning activities.
                           Regional Airline Association



   CAST RECOMMENDATION
RAA members commitment to:
• Safety Enhancement 49: Runway Incursions
• Standard Operating Procedures – Runway
  Incursion Prevention (completed)
• All operators establish, document, train and
  follow SOPs for ground operations.
• Ref: Advisory Circular 120-74A, "Flightcrew
  Procedures During Taxi Operations"
                                       Regional Airline Association



   Future of Moving Map Displays
• Will display map technology ever be considered as
  more than just an aid for ground operations?
   – “Heads up” versus “Heads down” – What’s best for the
     pilot?
   – “Primary” versus “Supplemental”
      • Accuracy of display
      • Redundancy
• Electronic Flight Bag (for display of moving maps)
  serves other useful purposes
   – Potential to reduce pilot workload for preflight
  Suggestion for improving runway safety-
       Improve the Charting Process

•Major disconnect between airport operators and charting suppliers
•Another disconnect- ATC uses gov’t produced charts; operators
use commercial charts
•Airports have no formal process for communicating data exchange
for both users
•Part 139.339 provides for NOTAM after change has occurred
    –Chartering suppliers need at least 21 day advance notification
    of change
•The use of moving map displays for ground operations lacks
reliability unless the charting process can be improved
Suggestion for improving runway safety-
 reduce pilot workload during preflight
•Overhaul the NOTAM Process
  –RAA Flight Tech Committee provided a 5 step
  issue paper to FAA in 2003 for improving the
  NOTAM; we have not seen any changes
  –Accounts for the most paper in the
  dispatch release
  –Accounts for the most time consumed by
  crews in pre-taxi particularly for short
  ground stops; and
  –Format difficult to convert to an electronic
  format (EFB usage)
                                      Regional Airline Association



   NextGen Safety Team- Goal #1
Strategies:
• Increase usefulness and understandability of information
• Increase the reliability and the accuracy of information
• Improve collaborative decision making

Measures:
• Assure the timeliness of the information
• Reduce the manipulation required to access needed
  information
• Reduce miscommunication
                               Regional Airline Association


 Before we add more technology to the cockpit, let’s
                    get our…




and improve on our current processes and procedures
                     Regional Airline Association




QUESTIONS?




 REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION
          (www.raa.org)