Glitchy New Year

The first day of January was a manifestation of the failure of the Philippine government to address the country’s air traffic management problems.

There was clearly something wrong which the present Marcos administration should address so as not to repeat the suffering of the thousands of passengers at the start of 2023.

As I was researching how radars work, I found a website where students of Temasek Polytechnic conducted a study on radar systems and proposed recommendations. I was looking for a date on when this site was created but this should be a lesson to all aviation officials that technology needs upgrading, and lawmakers must set aside a substantial budget for it.

Here is the text of their study as posted on their website:

What is a radar system?

Radars are object-detection systems that function with the aid of radio waves to calculate the range, angle, and velocity of objects such as aircrafts, ships, terrain and even weather formations. Radars provide surveillance and control for terminal area and aerodrome.

Radars achieve 2 purposes:

1. Transmission — Radar transmits radio waves/microwaves that reflect from any object in their path.

2. Reception — Radar receives and processes these reflected waves to determine properties of the objects.

Radar Systems used at Ninoy Aquino International Airport:

1.Terminal Surveillance Radar

The terminal surveillance radar, or airport surveillance radar, is an integrated primary and secondary radar system that is deployed at terminal air traffic control sites. In addition, weather service is provided, enhancing situational awareness for both controllers and pilots.

A better radar system simply means safer and more efficient operations.

2. Primary Surveillance Radar The radar sends out impulses which are reflected off the target aircraft and received back to formulate coordinates and important information. The PSR operates independently of the target aircraft and therefore, no action from the aircraft is required.

3. Secondary Surveillance Radar The radar interrogates target aircrafts by transmitting impulses and receiving them back after they are received and processed by the aircraft’s transponder. Aircrafts are then tracked and navigated by air traffic controllers.

Here comes the more interesting part. They found the problems that cause delays in our airport.

Potential bottleneck

There is a limited range of radar equipment installed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It lacks a precision approach radar, resulting in pilots relying fully on the instructions of air traffic controllers for approach procedures. The airport also lacks a surface movement radar, hence lacking in ground surveillance capabilities.

In the event of low visibility conditions or a radar breakdown, the airport will experience flight delays, loss in revenue and reputation.

It was recommended for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to adopt the Advance Surface Movement and Guidance Control System. This would allow the airport to provide more precise guidance, surveillance and control of aircraft and vehicles on the movement area. A better radar system simply means safer and more efficient operations.

I hope that our transportation officials will be able to take note of these so we can move forward, minus the corruption of course.

Radar receives and processes these reflected waves to determine properties of the objects.