O'Hare To Receive Runway Warning System

Near-collisions at O'Hare are nothing new. But from 2001 to 2006, the airport was second behind only LAX in terms of "runway incursions." To alleviate this problem, O'Hare will be one of twenty recipients of a new warning system that uses red lights embedded in the runway pavement to alert pilots to collision risks even before air traffic control could.

The technology is based on a complex array of radar sensors that provide the real-time location of aircraft and vehicles moving on the airfield. The system also can predict whether the routes taken by planes match the directions issued by air-traffic controllers or represent an imminent danger.

The FAA has successfully tested the system at airports in Dallas and San Diego and will begin implementation within the next three years, though the wait could be a bit longer: Chicago Department of Aviation COO Al Perez said he hopes to have the system install on all runways, "by 2015."

In "fiscal 2008," O'Hare reported 11 runway incursions, but none were classified in the two most serious categories, compared to 2006, when three serious incursions occurred. Midway, which experienced six non-serious incursions in 2008, is not one of the airports getting the system. In conjunction with the new warning systems, FAA officials say they will also stress pilot awareness, as over half of the incursion incidents are caused by pilot error. Yes, please. [Trib, S-T]

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