Integrated voice and data communications for air traffic service applications

The present work has been prepared in support of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sponsored Mission Oriented Investigation and Experimentation project. The main purpose of the project was twofold: 1) to demonstrate the operational benefits of integrated digital voice and data applications that will enhance air traffic control (ATC) and air traffic services and 2) to demonstrate the operational benefits of discrete addressing and call queuing, capabilities provided by a future VHF digital air/ground radio concept. The project included establishing a testbed and assessing the technical impact of introducing enhanced features into the next-generation National Airspace System communications system. Simulated airborne aircraft scenarios were developed to highlight the benefits of these features. Benefits demonstrated included enhancement of ATC voice and data call management capabilities, enhancement of communications with rescue coordination centers, added support provided by a national data base, and reduction of channel contention problems