Aircraft traffic management on the airport surface using VHF data link for CNS

Aircraft traffic management on the airport surface will require the effective utilization of communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS). This paper describes an experiment which provides a glimpse of future automation. The experiment combines precision surface radar, high-accuracy differential GPS (DGPS) position determination, automatic dependent surveillance (ADS), and ground and airborne automation systems able to inter-communicate via a VHF data link. In particular, this paper describes the air/ground communications provided by the VHF Data Link. Two classes of messages are processed: continual and ad hoc. The former include DGPS corrections, ADS messages and target data. The latter include graphical taxi clearances and hold bar set-reset information. The work described in this paper is the result of a cooperative venture among NASA, Westinghouse-Norden Systems and ARINC