Subject: [NEXTEL-1] News release from San Francisco International Airport:

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 18:25:28 -0500

News release from San Francisco International Airport:
http://www.flysfo.com/about/press/releases/SF-03-64.pdf
======================================================================================================

NEWS
December 5, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Michael C. McCarron
Director, Bureau of Community Affairs
(650) 821-4000
SF-03-64
SFO and United Airlines Successfully Test New Landing System
SAN FRANCISCO -- United Airlines has successful tested San Francisco
International Airport’s
newest technological advance - the Simultaneous Offset Instrument
Approach/Precision Runway
Monitoring System (SOIA/PRM), which - when fully implemented - will allow the
Airport to
increase aircraft arrival rate in inclement weather.
The test took place in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2003, using a UAL
Airbus A-320. On
board were representatives of SFO, the Airport/Community Roundtable, and the
FAA’s Northern
California Terminal Radar Approach Control Center (NorCal TRACON).
During good weather, SFO can accept between 60 and 65 aircraft per hour, using
both parallel
runways. With overcast skies, however, only one of the runways can be used
because the parallel
runways are separated by only 750 feet centerline to centerline instead of 4,300
feet, which is
required for side-by-side approach under instrument meteorological conditions
(IMC). As a result,
arrival rates drop to 30 aircraft per hour. This can cause major disruptions to
flight schedules,
affecting passengers in the San Francisco region, throughout the United States,
and overseas.
The SOIA approach allows a standard instrument approach to Runway 28L and now
establishes a
three degree offset instrument approach to Runway 28R. At approximately four
miles out from the
end of the runway, the aircraft gently turns directly to Runway 28R for a visual
approach below the
cloud layer to SFO. The Airport has installed a state-of-the-art ground-based
high scan rate radar
system, the Precision Runway Monitor (PRM), to ensure proper aircraft separation
at all times.
It is estimated that the SOIA/PRM system will increase arrival rates under
instrument conditions
from thirty per hour to as many as thirty-eight an hour.
“San Francisco International Airport is very excited to be a part of this
technological advancement
that will improve our on-time performance,” said John L. Martin, Airport
Director. “The Airport
has invested more than five years and $20 million to purchase and install the
SOIA/PRM and it is
very rewarding to see it nearing operation,” he added.
The SOIA/PRM system has been an on-going Airport project in development with
United Airlines,
the FAA, the Airline Pilots Association, and National Air Traffic Controllers
Association
(NATCA).
Once final operational and communications details are worked out between the FAA
and NATCA,
the system should be fully operational for use by all airlines as early Spring
2004.
S - F - O

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/