Evaluation of an Airport Lighting Control and Display System

This report describes the techniques used and presents the result of tests that were conducted to evaluate an airport lighting control and display system to determine its suitability to control airport lighting. A mimic control and display system was developed and installed at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC). It was tested to determine its ability to: 1. expedite the operations of the air traffic controller, 2. reduce power consumption by airport regulators in the field, and 3. reduce training time. The result of the tests indicates that the mimic control and display system is very suitable for airport operations and that only economic considerations would be a determining factor in not using it. It was recommended that the system be used in any airport where multiple runways and taxiway paths exist, and also that a program be established to further determine any method that would reduce the cost of design and installation.

Author: E. Leon Reamer