Runway Safety Systems

A runway incursion is the presence on a runway of any object (person, aircraft, vehicle, equipment, ...) that poses a danger to an aircraft's takeoff or landing. Since runway incursions are potentially catastrophic, reducing their frequency and mitigating their consequences are important goals of aviation safety. ATCorp's Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal (FAROS) warns an approaching aircraft of incursions on a runway on which it is about to land.

FAROS has been successfully tested at Long Beach Airport, Long Beach, California and at six runways at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. ATCorp developed the concept, implemented the software safety logic, prepared plans and specifications for implementation on the airport, oversaw construction, performed functional testing, and conducted the flight checks needed for approval to commence operational evaluation of the system.

Plans are underway to adapt FAROS to high-density airports and conduct an operational evaluation of the system at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. The project is part of the FAA's effort to respond to the National Transportation Safety Board's call to "Give immediate warnings of probable collisions/incursions directly to flight crews in the cockpit."