FAA continues to deploy new system in Gulf as air traffic nearly doubles

A GPS-based communications system the Federal Aviation Administration began using in the Gulf of Mexico in 2009 hasn't been fully developed to manage the increased air traffic in the region as a result of the BP oil spill, leaving pilots to fly aircraft using primarily visual cues.

FAA began to deploy the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast system in the Gulf region late last year to provide air traffic control coverage over open waters, where radar coverage is not fully available. ADS-B is a GPS-based communication system that allows aircraft loaded with the proper equipment to transmit their locations to ground receivers, which then broadcast information to air traffic controller screens and cockpit displays on other aircraft equipped with ADS-B avionics.

The system is a component of FAA's NextGen, which will replace the current aviation system with more advanced technology. The agency has provided limited ADS-B access in Alaska for years.

In the Gulf region, only a few helicopters are equipped with the technology and so most pilots fly using visual flight rules, said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. VFR relies on pilots' ability to see and avoid obstacles and manage their separation from other aircraft. The Coast Guard reported several near-miss events in which pilots flying under VFR during Gulf-related missions failed to follow procedures.

"[ADS-B is] not really a big factor in the situation in the Gulf right now," Brown said. "Certainly for helicopters using it, it helps them and us with situational awareness."

The number of air traffic operations in the Gulf has nearly doubled, with more than 1,000 fixed-wing and helicopter flights occurring on an average weekday, she said. Helicopter Association International, which has pushed for ADS-B deployment in the Gulf, reports helicopters transport 10,000 workers to more than 4,000 oil platforms each day.

Flights in the Gulf now are operating primarily to support the massive response to the BP oil spill and daily oil-rig business, Brown said. The Coast Guard and FAA, however, loosened the temporary flight restrictions for the Gulf area last week to accommodate other aircraft, including flights for the media, on a case-by-case basis depending on congestion, time of day and weather conditions. Because the number of low-altitude flights in the area has increased, FAA has issued restrictions for aircraft flying below 3,000 feet.

Brown acknowledged it has been a challenge to keep aircraft separated, so FAA is using military radar systems to monitor and manage flights. It also consulted with Air Force North and Customs and Border Protection to develop a regional airspace management plan for the area.

The agency last month issued a final rule requiring aircraft to install ADS-B Out, the equipment required to broadcast an aircrafts' positions, by 2020. There's no formal guidance for ADS-B In, which allows an aircraft to receive and display satellite information, because this technology is still in its infancy.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a speech delivered on Tuesday at a safety and training summit in Denver that the ADS-B rollout in the Gulf has been successful so far, but more aircraft are needed to install the technology. "If you're hoping to take full advantage of everything that NextGen has to offer, you must equip," he said. "For example, you'll be getting better situational awareness, onboard collision avoidance and cockpit weather. If you equip, you'll have a lot more information available to you."