Airliners face
higher risk of collision as airspace incursions
increase.
Aircraft in controlled airspace, particularly those operating to
airports with terminal control areas or zones, appear to be at
greater risk than ever of collision with general aviation aircraft
that stray into approach paths.
Eurocontrol has launched a questionnaire aimed at general aviation
pilots - the aviation group most frequently involved - in a bid to
get feedback on why so many airspace incursions occur.
Eurocontrol is working on this project with the European
International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, but it has
been worried about the problem for two years. In September 2006
infringements programme co-ordinator Alexander Krastev said:
"Airspace infringements represent a severe threat to aviation
safety, and the majority involve GA aircraft."
Infringements are usually the result of the pilots either not
navigating accurately, or being ignorant of the presence of the
restricted airspace they have strayed into.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority and Britain's main air navigation
service provider NATS have been working together also for two years
to quantify the issue and come up with a strategy for dealing with
it.
Their study shows that GA airspace infringements are continuing to
rise, having gone up by 20% in the last year alone. One of the
tactics that NATS has employed is to reach out to the GA community
bysetting up a website with video of actual airspace incursions, plus
information aimed to help and interest light aircraft
pilots.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority is keen to link the incursion issue
with the fact that most GA aircraft that do not intend to use
controlled airspace do not have Mode C transponders fitted.
But those that do, if their pilots are talking to the non-radar
London Information service, can be allocated a squawk code that
makes clear to radar controllers that the aircraft are on the
Information frequency, so if radar sees a potential infringement
the controller can warn the pilot through London Information.
The CAA says that since this procedure began in November 2006, 11
potential airspace infringements have been prevented and seven
actual airspace infringements have been more speedily
resolved.
Steve McKie, NATS safety division, explains: "In each of these
cases a potentially serious incident has been averted by a radar
controller spotting the risk and contacting the flight information
service officer. They have then passed the information on to the
pilot, enabling appropriate action to be taken to avoid the
infringement or to clear controlled airspace in the safest
manner."
P.S. Check out the link in the article! Cool vids of radar replays
showing airspace incursions.