Originally published at: Contract Tower Situational Awareness Bill Advances
Measure would expand access to ADS-B-based traffic displays and training at federal contract towers.
It’s certainly about time that the system is installed in contract towers. I am based a KTUP, a 7000 ft runway with airline service to Nashville and Dallas, and a fair amount of small plane, private jet, and Columbus AFB training traffic. We are a long way from Memphis and Columbus radar, which means that radar alone cannot see traffic until it is a few thousand feet above KTUP. ADS-B would allow the contract tower to see traffic below the primary radar coverage essentially to the ground. Otherwise, the tower is just using radio communications and their eyes to see traffic in the class D airspace, which we all know has gigantic limitations.