Until now, no facility or tool existed that allowed planners to completely evaluate proposed procedural changes without impacting real operations. FutureFlight Central safely models the airport to a level of sophistication and realism that is required for subsequent implementation in the real operational environment. Before Investing Until recently, relatively little had been done to leverage new automation technologies for airport operations. Instead, the focus was on equipment upgrades, which the industry and government view as a more pressing problem. Modernization of equipment and information systems used for air traffic control has been a slow process, and it has complicated and delayed the introduction of new technologies.
Many new concepts spend years in the development and evaluation phase.
Access to field testing sites is restricted in many cases because of safety concerns or because of extensive configuration changes already underway. Among technologies identified as critical for the implementation of FreeFlight Phase 1 are those to reduce the growing trend in runway incursions, digital communication to offload voice channels, computer-aided vision systems for reduced visibility operations, and centralized accurate flight schedule information for better planning. However, every airport is different, and may thus benefit to varying degrees from a particular investment in technology. The inherent safety and flexibility of FutureFlight Central provides a platform to adapt new technologies to the unique configuration of each airport, and to analyze them for cost-benefit. The safety risk associated with increases in air traffic density is evident in an upward trend in airport surface incidents and accidents.