Technical Feasibility of Digital Three-Dimensional Cellular Communications for Air Traffic Control Applications. Volume 1. Introduction and Summary

Abstract : MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) has proposed a set of concepts for improving VHF communications for air traffic control applications. One idea, called CTAG for Cellular Trunked Air Ground (CTAG) communications is to extend land-mobile cellular-trunked digital communications technology to air-ground communication between pilots and controllers. This study was aimed at addressing the technical feasibility of this approach. Detailed results show that significant benefits can indeed be obtained in not only automating routine communications functions but also in reducing the number of frequency channels required compared with existing analog voice-only procedures. Further work is required to quantify potential system costs, particularly those associated with the ground portions of the CTAG network.