Bigfork, Montana — December 18, 2024 — uAvionix and partner Capital Sciences successfully completed the design, installation, acceptance testing, and training for a second group of 6 airports under the FAA’s Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI). The contract, awarded in September 2024, was completed in record time—within the allotted 90 days—despite setbacks caused by two major hurricanes hitting the State.

“Together with the FAA teams on site at each of the six airports, our team in the field and in the back office did an amazing job running these installations in parallel across the State of Florida in record time,” said Christian Ramsey, CCO of uAvionix. “Feedback from the local controllers has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are very proud of the contribution we are making to day-to-day FAA operational safety.”

uAvionix FlightLine systems were deployed at Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Tampa International Airport (TPA), Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), and Jacksonville International Airport (JAX).

For each airport, the team deployed up to 8 dual-frequency ADS-B receivers, providing 100% redundant and overlapping coverage of the airport surface and airspace out to 5 miles around each airport.  Additionally, each tower and TRACON received up to 4 dedicated situation awareness displays running the uAvionix FlightLine solution.  Strict technical performance metrics including coverage, latency, and update rate were validated through the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) process.  Additionally, each airport received uAvionix VTU-20 ADS-B vehicle transmitters allowing vehicles to be visible to users of the FlightLine display and other aircraft, reducing the risk of runway incursions due to vehicles on the runway.

The Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) is a forward leaning FAA program aimed at rapidly enhancing surface surveillance and situational awareness at towered airports across the National Airspace System (NAS). Currently there are airports where tower controllers do not have visibility of all areas of the airport surface. By deploying the SAI capability to the tower cab, controllers gain timely and accurate depictions of both aircraft and ground vehicles on the entire surface movement area of an airport in all weather conditions and  are able proactively address any potential safety concerns.

The main benefits of the Surface Awareness Initiative include:

  • Enhanced Ground Safety: Improved visibility of vehicles and aircraft reduces the potential for runway incursions.
  • Operational Efficiency: Controllers can better manage surface traffic during peak operations.
  • Scalable Technology: The system is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure and scales for future FAA initiatives.

The FAA has plans to roll out similar installations to dozens of towered airports across the United States in the coming years. According to FAA leadership, including Acting Administrator Polly Trottenberg and COO Tim Arel, the program represents a significant step forward in the FAA’s commitment to ensuring the highest levels of safety within the NAS. These systems can also be leveraged by Federal Contract Towers (FCT) operating within Mode C veils and are expected to be deployed more broadly throughout the NAS in the near future.

uAvionix is the leading provider of ADS-B surveillance equipment for crewed and uncrewed aircraft and ground vehicles, worldwide. As a trusted partner of the FAA, uAvionix is implementing groundbreaking safety solutions that contribute to the continued modernization of the NAS.

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For more information about uAvionix and its aviation safety solutions, please visit https://uAvionix.com/. 
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Contact for media: squawk@uAvionix.com

For more information about Capital Sciences and its aviation safety solutions, please visit https://www.capsci.com/. 

For more information on the FAA’s Surface Awareness Initiative, please visit https://www.faa.gov/surface-safety-portfolio.