FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>28-00<br>May 1,
2000<br>Contact: Tammy Jones<br>Phone: 202-267-8521<br><br>FAA
Launches First Oceanic Data Link Services Over
Atlantic<br> <br>WASHINGTON - In a move that increases the safety and
<br>efficiency of oceanic air travel, the Federal Aviation
<br>Administration (FAA) has initiated use of electronic air/ground
<br>communication services for aircraft operating over the Atlantic
<br>Ocean. The same system has been operating for aircraft
flying <br>over Pacific Ocean airspace for more than a
year. <br><br>The FAA's New York Air Traffic Control
Center began initial <br>operations in March of the
Multi-Sector Oceanic Data Link <br>System, which provides a
means for air traffic controllers to have <br>two-way
electronic communications with aircraft equipped with
<br>data link. This technology is designed to eliminate
the need for <br>voice communication between data
link-equipped aircraft and air <br>traffic controllers,
improving the reliability and timeliness of <br>message
delivery.<br><br>In conjunction with aircraft equipped with the
Future Air Navigation <br>System (FANS -- an
international standard for avionics that are <br>compliant with
Oceanic Data Link), the Oceanic Data Link system
<br>provides a means to automatically check pending clearances
for <br>conflicts, while allowing the flight crews to
automatically load flight <br>clearances they have received
into the aircraft's Flight <br>Management System. The
Oceanic Data Link system also <br>provides the
controllers with an integrated interface to the flight
<br>data processor and addresses the existing high
frequency <br>communications problems with aircraft, such
as frequency <br>congestion, transcription errors,
and lack of timeliness.<br><br>Oceanic controllers
began using the system in limited operations <br>at a
single sector in March 2000. As controllers become more
<br>familiar with Oceanic Data Link, operations will expand to
include <br>full system capabilities. Full operations are
planned at all <br>Caribbean sectors later this year.
Once full operations in the <br>Caribbean are in
effect, operation of the system will transition to
<br>New York's North Atlantic sectors.<br><br>Other North
Atlantic air traffic service providers are planning the
<br>initiation of FANS-based data link trials later this year.
New <br>York's early lead in those efforts will be
important in the realization <br>of the goal of a seamless
data link operation in Atlantic airspace.<br><br>###