FAA Finally Ditching Old-School Radar for GPS

[exfileme]

GPS will replace radar in 35 of the nation's busiest airports by June 2015.

FAA Finally Ditching Old-School Radar for GPS : Read more

 

[bobusboy]

I doubt they'll do away with radar completely.

Guaranteed that they'll keep it some how as a back up system for if GPS fails and for the "risk" of hijacked air planes.

 

[jacobdrj]

Why can't they be used together?

 

[LORD_ORION]

Are you F'ing kidding me?

Radar is hardened not to fail... not as accurate as a GPS, but next to impossible to fail.

I can't wait to see what happens the next time an X class flare takes down the GPS network. :\

Also

Air traffic controllers are already overworked, now you want to have them handle more planes?

 

[keyanf]

"lead to cheaper tickets for consumers"

Never going to happen.

 

[stingstang]

[citation][nom]LORD_ORION[/nom]Are you F'ing kidding me?Radar is hardened not to fail... not as accurate as a GPS, but next to impossible to fail.I can't wait to see what happens the next time an X class flare takes down the GPS network. :\AlsoAir traffic controllers are already overworked, now you want to have them handle more planes?[/citation]
there's nothing here about adding planes.

Also

GPS systems will decrease the workload. No more weather affecting radar, planes are more accurately represented on the scope, and there will now be a minimum of 1.5 miles of separation instead of 3.

 

[stingstang]

Lol, and radar fails ALL THE TIME! Try getting 16 satellites to fail at the same time and come back to me.

 

[Hupiscratch]

One of the main upgrades for controllers is that the main communication will change from voice based to text based. This will help offload the radio chatter, using it only for special ocasions, like emergencies.

 

[memadmax]

GPS should be a tool, not a replacement.
As we learned in the Navy....

Not only did we have a GPS unit, we also had two sets of radar(no aegis however), 3 gyroscopes, and a sextant....

 

[distortion]

Won't solar winds interfere?

 

[Thunderfox]

Upgrading the airports is one thing, upgrading all the planes is another. Radar is going to be around for a long time, because there will be many planes that aren't equipped to use the GPS system.

 

[A Bad Day]

One problem with GPS though. There are lots of GPS jammers out in the market for a variety of use, such as truck drivers not wanting their employer to know where they are and etc. And the problem is some jammers are very powerful for their size and price, capable of jamming entire blocks.

There was one airport that had that kind of a problem in the morning when they built their state-of-the-art GPS. Apparently a truck driver drove past the airport everyday in the morning with the jammer on to avoid paying toll for a nearby GPS-controlled toll system.

 

[cheepstuff]

The bill also opens the U.S. skies for military, commercial and privately-owned unmanned drone flights within four years. These will be allowed to fly in the same airspace as airliners, cargo planes, business jets and private aircraft.

just lovely...

 

[Onus]

This is a pail of fail, waiting to be kicked over. Let me know when GPS can spot wind shear, funnel clouds, and other phenomena. How about when some angsty teenaged mad "scientist" makes a jammer for giggles and causes a fatal crash? Yeah, that'll fly...(pun intended, but it's really not funny).

 

[buckcm]

[citation][nom]stingstang[/nom]there's nothing here about adding planes.AlsoGPS systems will decrease the workload. No more weather affecting radar, planes are more accurately represented on the scope, and there will now be a minimum of 1.5 miles of separation instead of 3.[/citation]

"The new GPS system is merely the start of an overall plan for a 50-percent growth in air traffic over the next decade."

 

[Onus]

A 50% growth in air traffic? That must be counting the drones, because it sure isn't counting people, unless or until the TSA is called to heel.

 

[theroguex]

[citation][nom]cheepstuff[/nom]just lovely...[/citation]

I was beginning to wonder if anyone else noticed that little bit there, about military unmanned drones flying over the US.

 

[Guest]

Military already flies in the same airspace... so that needs to be clarified more. Military has MOA's and restricted areas to train in, but civilians can fly right through the MOA's if they want. GPS requires the PLANE to have GPS with a transponder to tell tower where it is. Today's systems aren't purely radar, they rely on transponders to give accurate information on the location of the plane (transponder timing gives accurate vector and mode C gives altitude). This article is highly innacurate in what it's trying to say.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]jtt283[/nom]A 50% growth in air traffic? That must be counting the drones, because it sure isn't counting people, unless or until the TSA is called to heel.[/citation]
Ya, so the industry that has been shrinking and cutting flights is expecting a comeback? Good luck with that. Tellecommunication has killed a large portion (though not all) of the more expensive business class and first class demand, leaving the prices to rise in the more volatile lower priced seating segments of the plane, which is why they are loosing customers. Give business a reason to continue doing business face-to-face to increase the premium seating and then we might see ticket prices fall. If GPS was going to make prices fall then they would have switched to it years ago.

 

[mcd023]

What I think they're talking about is ADS-B, which is where the aircraft will report to Atc and other planes it's location, among other things. And yes, a lot of places will still be using radar, even though I've only done 1 PAR approach (precision approach radar) but it was cool! As for those those of you who fly airlines, prepare for even more ear splittage, cause they're gonna chop and drop!