Alaska's Capstone program - systems engineering for communication, navigation and surveillance

Abstract

Capstone is an FAA safety program in Alaska. Its near term goal is to achieve aviation safety and efficiency improvements by accelerating implementation and use of modern technology. "Capstone" is derived from the program's effect of drawing and holding together concepts and recommendations contained in reports from the RTCA, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Mitre Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), and Alaskan aviation industry representatives. It links multiple programs and initiatives under a common umbrella for planning, coordination, focus, and direction. The impetus for the program is safety for the flying public, with enormous benefit and utility to pilots as well as air traffic controllers. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, accident rates in Alaska are nearly 400 percent above the national average. The lack of aviation services, such as a usable instrument flight rules (IFR) infrastructure, makes Alaska an excellent location to evaluate new CNS technologies. Through Alaska Aviation Industry support, the program also got an important boost from Congress. The program was implemented in cooperation with the Alaskan aviation industry and responded directly to a 1995 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Safety Study. The study recommended that the FAA implement a model program to demonstrate a low altitude IFR system that better fills the needs of Alaska's air transportation system. Capstone's "model demonstration program" implements the NTSB's recommendations and is more than just a technology demonstration. Keeping in constant coordination with the user community, it seeks to field useful components for operational use and transition them into the National Airspace System (NAS). The program is more than systems. Under its umbrella, it undertakes a complete safety approach and includes things such as new technology certifications, corresponding operational procedures, and appropriate training for pilots, controllers, and maintenance personnel. The program has also coordinated the installation of more weather sensors and communications outlets. This paper focuses on the full system.