From Voice to Text
A text-based alternative to voice, Data Communications has revolutionized the way controllers and pilots communicate for safer and more efficient flight operations.
Story written by C. Troxell, FAA Office of Communications
To text or to talk? That is the question. However, it is not a very hard one to answer in the realm of air traffic control — thanks to the FAA’s text-based communications technology now operational at 62 airports and three en route (high altitude) centers.
A supplement to voice communications, Data Communications (Data Comm) enables controllers to text flight clearance and reroute instructions to multiple aircraft rather than providing them verbally to each aircraft, one at a time. The technology is significantly reducing delays, fuel burn and environmental emissions, and enhancing safety.
“For the hundreds of controllers, technicians, specialists, pilots, dispatchers, engineers, software developers, testers and acquisition personnel who gave everything of themselves over the years to make this happen, this day is for them,” Data Comm Program Manager Jesse Wijntjes said on Nov. 15, 2019, the day Indianapolis Center became the first high-altitude air traffic control facility to go live with the technology.
Three days later, the other en route key site — Kansas City Center — went live, and the FAA is in the process of implementing the tool at all centers in the continental United States to complete the National Airspace System (NAS)-wide deployment for use of the technology in high-altitude airspace.
In the terminal environment, the tool has already saved over 2.1 million minutes of radio time between controllers and pilots, over 1.4 million minutes of airspace user time, over 18.1 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions and has prevented more than 123,000 read-back errors from pilots. The Data Comm program is building on that success in the en route environment.
“Think of switching from your old rotary phone to group chat,” said Wijntjes. “You can get your message to multiple people at the same time instead of getting on the phone and talking to one person at a time, which makes for a much more efficient system.”
“Pilots are really excited about this,” added United Airlines Capt. Chuck Stewart, Navigation/Communication Surveillance Program Manager and Chair of the NextGen Integrated Working Group for Data Comm, who has worked with Wijntjes on implementing Data Comm. “We’re able to save lots of delay minutes using this system. A pilot can quickly insert a reroute directly into their [Flight Management System (FMS)] and start flying it.”
Without Data Comm, a controller reads the route of flight phonetically, fix by fix, to the pilot over a voice radio. Then the pilot is required to read those instructions back to the controller to confirm they fully comprehend those directions and enters the clearance into the FMS. The longer the flight, the more complicated and more opportunity for mistakes can be made. “Data Comm reduces the communication time between controllers and pilots, which reduces gate delays and taxi-out times improving the overall efficiency of the system,” Wijntjes said.
Data Comm provides a digital link between ground automation at control facilities to flight deck avionics in the cockpits of planes. Using the data link, a controller can open up the menu, click on an aircraft, update its waypoints and more.
“As an extra benefit, Data Comm reduces frequency congestion, especially in the Northeast and Los Angeles areas, where there are a whole bunch of airplanes trying to get on the radio at the same time,” Stewart said. “It cuts down on a lot of voice traffic.”
Aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing and various general aviation manufacturers — in addition to avionics original equipment manufacturers and over 70 domestic and international operators — are on board with Data Comm. Already, 3,166 domestic mainline aircraft, 2,688 general aviation aircraft and 1,946 international aircraft are equipped and reaping benefits.
“This is the best orchestrated collaboration of an FAA program that I’ve seen,” Stewart said. “We have reps from all the major airlines, and bringing on reps from the regional airlines and general aviation, too. It’s really robust.”
Want to read more about how FAA air traffic operations are shaping our national airspace? Go here for more stories.
