Runway status lights going to 22 airports

The Federal Aviation Administration has signed on a contractor to install new runway safety technology designed to keep aircraft – and passengers – safe by warning pilots of potential traffic hazards before they cross a runway or start their takeoff roll. Sensis Corp. will work with Siemens USA and HNTB Corp. to deploy the technology, which integrates “runway status lights” – essentially traffic lights that are embedded in the runway surface – with a system called ASDE-X (Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X). The latter system uses radar and other sensors to track the movement of aircraft and vehicles across the airport’s surface. By linking the two together, pilots will be warned by the status lights as soon as any potential conflict is detected by ASDE-X, whether it’s an aircraft landing on a runway the pilot wants to cross, or a cargo truck crossing a runway where an aircraft plans to take off. By taking the ground controllers out of the loop, pilots can react much more quickly to potential conflicts. The FAA said it will install the technology at 22 major airports over the three-year period of the contract, including Atlanta, Baltimore-Washington, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Washington Dulles, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston Bush Intercontinental, New York JFK and LaGuardia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego and Seattle.