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Figure Thumbnails

Figure 1: Runway Status Lights configuration.

 

Figure 2: Runway Status Lights locations at DFW.

Runway Status Lights

The FAA is pursuing a wide range of activities to improve runway safety. One of the leading safety technologies, called Runway Status Lights (RWSL), is being developed and tested by Lincoln Laboratory. RWSL is a system of surveillance-driven status lights on the airport surface that provides aircraft flight crews and vehicle operators with an indication that a runway is occupied or in use by a high-speed aircraft. RWSL has the potential to substantially reduce the risk of a collision by increasing the situation awareness of pilots as they operate large and small aircraft, as well as vehicle operators, at the nation’s busiest airports.

Types of Status Lights

RWSL includes four types of status lights: Runway Entrance Lights (RELs), Takeoff-Hold Lights (THLs) (see photo), Runway Intersection Lights (RILs), and Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal (FAROS). Figure 1 shows an example of a RWSL airport configuration.

Lincoln Laboratory RWSL Role

Lincoln’s primary role involves the design and test of surveillance fusion and threat detection algorithms, display development, training and outreach to pilots, air traffic controllers and vehicle operators, and continual evaluation of the operational system including analysis of both technical performance at Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) International Airport and user feedback from pilots and controllers at both DFW and San Diego (SAN) International Airport.

Lincoln Laboratory’s support benefits RWSL by leveraging prior experience defining and developing high quality airport surface surveillance systems for the FAA Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) radars and the operational knowledge gained on the earlier Airport Surface Traffic Automation (ASTA) program.

Major accomplishments

• Since March 2005, RWSL has been operating on runway 18L/36R at DFW (see Figure 2). The system has accumulated more than 180,000 operations and continues to be evaluated and improved.
• Since December 2006, RWSL has been operating on runway 9/27 at SAN. The system has accumulated more than 100,000 operations and Lincoln is evaluating human factors data to motivate operational improvements.
• Since 2005 at DFW, and since 2006 at SAN, Lincoln has completed outreach by initiating a project website, delivering CDs to end users, developing Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), and coordinating with Jeppesen, a company specializing in aeronautical services, on pilot guides sent to more than 40 airlines and over 20,000 pilots.

Ongoing Work in RWSL

Next steps include an operational evaluation of RELs and THLs, once installed, on two additional runways at DFW in 2008 and potential deployment to similar parallel-runway airports including Los Angeles. Lincoln is also currently developing operational concepts and algorithms for FAROS and RILs to be evaluated at DFW and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, respectively, in 2008. Lincoln will also continue to support the human factors effort by developing training, conducting outreach, and analyzing user feedback.

More information on Runway Status Lights (including animations and recorded data of the system in operation) is available at a dedicated website: http://www.rwsl.net

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