AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: SURVEILLANCE RADAR REQUEST FOR THE CHERRY CAPITAL AIRPORT

In 1994, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received requests to install an airport surveillance radar at the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan. In response to the requests, FAA assessed the benefits and costs of installing a surveillance radar at the airport. Initially, in 1994, on the basis of a benefit-cost study, the airport qualified for a radar; however, the results of benefit-cost studies conducted in 1996 and 1997 showed that the airport did not qualify for a radar, and therefore, it has not received a radar to date. The General Accounting Office was asked to perform a detailed review of the benefit-cost studies that FAA conducted for the Cherry Capital Airport in 1994, 1996, and 1997. Specifically, this report discusses (1) FAA's decision-making process for installing surveillance radars at airports; (2) the factors, including costs, benefits, and air traffic projections, that FAA considered when conducting the 1994, 1996, and 1997 studies; (3) the impact, if any, that air traffic projections developed by other sources would have had on the results of the 1997 study; (4) actions FAA has taken to address safety concerns at the airport; and (5) FAA's plans to replace surveillance radars at airports with fewer total air traffic operations than the Cherry Capital Airport. Briefly, FAA uses a multifaceted process to determine which airports should get surveillance radars. This process includes completing a benefit-cost study, assessing an airport's need for a surveillance radar compared with the needs of other airports, and determining the availability of radar equipment or funds to purchase the needed radar equipment. When conducting the 1994, 1996, and 1997 benefit-cost studies, FAA considered the potential efficiency and safety benefits, estimated equipment and annual operating costs, and projected air traffic operations. To address the safety concerns, FAA installed an automated display and information system at the Cherry Capital Airport in 1997 to help controllers locate and identify aircraft approaching and departing the airport. Beginning in 1999, FAA plans to replace the existing surveillance radars installed in the 1960s and 1970s at 101 airports as part of its efforts to modernize its air traffic control system. Seventy-five of the 101 airports had fewer total air traffic operations in 1996 than the Cherry Capital Airport did.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.21949/1404030
• 
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/12539
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/12540
• Supplemental Notes:
  • United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. General Accounting Office

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20548
• Publication Date: 1998-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 37 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air traffic; Air traffic control; Airports; Benefit cost analysis; Decision making; Finance; Information display systems; Modernization; Needs assessment; Operating costs; Radar; Safety; Surveillance
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Finance; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00761124
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GAO/RCED-98-118
• Files: NTL, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 9 1999 12:00AM