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FAA unveils the joy of text for flight communications
Monday, 29 Sep, 2016
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Talk between air traffic controllers and pilots is increasingly shifting to text-based communications, which could save billions in fuel costs and cut delays, the Federal Aviation Administration says.
The FAA said most of the major airports are on track to shift to text communications by the end of the year.
The agency touted the installation of the Data Comm system at 45 US air traffic control towers as the backbone of its modernization efforts.
It was demonstrated during a media event at Washington Dulles Airport where it was installed three weeks ago.
Instead of controllers and pilots laboriously confirming each message by voice via each letter of the radio alphabet, flight data can now be sent and confirmed with the ‘touch of a button,’ said FAA assistant administrator of NextGen Jim Eck.
It is "delivering real benefits, particularly during busy times of the day and in bad weather," he said.
FAA Data Comm program manager Jesse Wijntjes said Data Comm is a ‘quantum leap in how we move aircraft around.’
At Dulles, most flights are still being operated via voice commands as most aircraft are not equipped for Data Comm.
United Airlines’ chief technical pilot-communications, Chuck Stewart said it has its fleet of Boeing 787s, 777s and 767s equipped for Data Comm and is now installing it on 757s and 737s.
"We’ve already seen a great deal of operational benefits,"he said.
FAA administrator Michael Huerta estimates Data Comm will save the industry more than $10 billion in efficiencies over the next 30 years.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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