Subject: [NEXTEL-1] First-of-its-kind radar nears takeoff at SFO

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 18:22:35 -0500

San Mateo County Times

First-of-its-kind radar nears takeoff at SFO
SFO spokesman says system is not a replacement for runway expansion
By Justin Jouvenal
STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, December 09, 2003 -

S.F. AIRPORT -- Death, taxes -- and delays at SFO.

It's a given that when storms whip up, Bay Area air travelers wait and wait and
wait. But a new high tech radar system could significantly cut the quality time
you spend in the lounge at SFO.

The first-of-its-kind radar will allow air traffic controllers to peer through
the clouds and land up to 27 percent more flights when skies are stormy.

SFO and United Airlines announced late last week they successfully tested the
$20 million Precision Runway Monitoring-Simultaneous Offset Instrument Approach
system earlier this month after five years of development. It could take off as
early as this spring.

In bad weather, SFO's arrival capacity is halved from about 60 flights an hour
to 30, because one of its narrowly-spaced, parallel arrival runways must be shut
down under Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations.

PRM-SOIA could bump that number back up to 38 flight an hour by allowing planes
to continue to use both runways safely. The SOIA will allow planes to make
instrument approaches to one runway at an angle, allowing greater separation of
the planes.

The PRM ensures the planes maintain proper separation during the angled
approach, even when pilots can't see each other's aircraft because of cloud
cover.

"It's a high-scan radar that will allow us to detect quickly if a plane is
drifting off course," said Mike McCarron, an SFO spokesman.

The new radar will have an added benefit for residents weary of jet noise. When
PRM-SOIA is in use, approaches to the airport will take planes over the Bay
instead of San Mateo, Foster City and other cities.

"It will be a real reduction in noise for all the communities south of the
airport," said Marland Townsend, mayor of Foster City.

The system is the first in the nation, but airports in Atlanta, St. Louis and
Minneapolis are also looking at PRM-SOIA. McCarron said the system is not a
replacement for now-shelved plans to build new runways at SFO.

"Not even close -- we need a system that can land 60 planes an hour," he said.

Staff writer Justin Jouvenal covers transportation issues. He can be reached at
348-4331 or by e-mail at [email-masked] .

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