The Air Traffic Control Equipment Subsystem - Present and Future

The air traffic control problem consists of operational, technical, and political elements. This paper, however, is confined to the technical (equipment) aspects of the problem. The equipment subsystem consists of five essential elements. These are: Type I-means whereby pilots of aircraft may know their positions and means whereby they may be able to conduct their aircraft over any arbitrarily chosen routes from terminal to terminal; Type II-means whereby a central decision-making entity may be able to know the position of all aircraft within its jurisdiction; Type III-means where-by the decision-making entity can determine instantly safe, nonconflicting flight procedures for all aircraft within its purview; Type IV-means whereby instantaneous safe-flight instructions may be transmitted unambiguously to all aircrafts concerned; Type V-means whereby action may be coordinated among the several central flightinstruction, decision-making entities. The paper lists the significant actions which have affected the air traffic control equipment subsystem. It gives the history of the various units which form the present equipment subsystem and forecasts the equipment that may constitute the future traffic control subsystem.