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“THE ``AIRPORT SAFETY ACT''” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E386 on March 17, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE ``AIRPORT SAFETY ACT''
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HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 17, 1998
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, last week I introduced legislation, H.R. 3463, to require U.S. airports to install enhanced vision technologies to replace or enhance conventional landing light systems over the next ten years. The ``Airport Safety Act'' will more than pay for itself because of the cost effectiveness of enhanced vision technologies and the reduction in airplane landing accidents and aborted landings. I urge all members to support this important legislation.
H.R. 3463 defines enhanced vision technologies as laser guidance, ultraviolet guidance, and cold cathode technologies. The bill directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue regulations requiring airports to install these technologies to replace or enhance conventional landing light systems within ten years of enactment of the legislation. In addition, H.R. 3463 makes the installation of enhanced vision technologies eligible for funding under the airport improvement program.
This bill will make use of a proven new technology to dramatically enhance aviation safety. According to the Flight Safety Foundation, loss of flight crew situational awareness is the primary cause of most airplane accidents. Situational awareness is best defined as an accurate perception of the factors and conditions affecting the safe operation of an aircraft.
Enhanced vision technologies represent a dramatic breakthrough in improving flight crew situational awareness during airplane landings--
especially in low visibility situations. The U.S. military has already thoroughly deployed and tested these technologies--with excellent results. Laser guidance systems provide pilots with a visual navigation flight path from as far as 20 miles from the runway, with the precision of an advanced instrument landing system. Best of all, the installation of enhanced vision technologies to replace or enhance conventional landing light systems will require no additional aircraft equipment.
In addition to dramatically improving the ability of commercial pilots to land aircraft during night time, fog and other foul weather conditions, these technologies also will dramatically reduce the likelihood of traffic collisions at airports with parallel runways.
Enhanced vision technologies provide the U.S. aviation system with an unlimited amount of applications. They can be built and installed at high or low density airports, airports located in mountainous terrain, unprepared and unlit airports, vertical landing zones, confined areas such as hospitals, law enforcement agencies, oil rig platforms and remote islands.
Perhaps the most dramatic aspect of enhanced vision technologies are their ability to penetrate most weather conditions--including dense fog. For example, ultraviolet electro-optical guidance systems (UVEOGS) are specifically designed to penetrate dense fog. In tests structured by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force, UVEOGS were visible up to a half a mile under 700 feet visibility conditions. These tests indicated that when visibility conditions are 700 feet, an aircraft pilot can detect a UVEOGS cue on the heads-up display and transfer to actual visual approach guidance at a distance of at least 2,400 feet from the runway. UVEOGS technology will allow pilots to acquire runway visibility much earlier than with conventional systems--
even under adverse weather conditions. This, in turn, will provide pilots with additional reaction time during landing approaches to make flight path corrections.
UVEOGS is also compatible with the enhance ground proximity warning system (EGPWS). The actual location and image of a runway, anchored to earth, can be displayed in concert with the EGPWS ground contour display. The combination of UVEOGS and EGPWS would mark a significant advance in preventing controlled flight into terrain accidents.
Cold cathode technology produces a more uniform light output than a typical incandescent light. As a result, cold cathode lights leave no after image on the retina, even after looking directly into the light. This is important in aviation applications, especially helicopter operations, because cold cathode lights allow a pilot to see around the light, not just the light itself, thereby increasing the pilot's situational awareness and spatial orientation.
One final note about enhanced vision technologies. Yes, there will be a cost to airports associated with replacing or enhancing conventional landing light system with enhanced vision technologies. However, because enhanced vision technologies generally use less electricity than conventional lighting landing light systems, and are less expensive to maintain, in the long run they will pay for themselves. In addition, the ``Airport Safety Act'' gives airports ten years to install this technology. Finally, the bill allows airports to use AIP money to finance the installation of the new technology.
There exist today technologies to reduce the threat to aviation safety posed by adverse weather. Enhanced vision technologies have been tested by the U.S. military. They work, and they work well. The time has come for Congress to step up to the plate and require that this proven safety-enhancing technology be installed at all U.S. airports. If Congress is truly concerned about aviation safety, it will pass H.R. 3463.
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