June 7, 2018
NBAA and member operators worked with the FAA and data comm contractor Harris Corp. to add California’s Van Nuys Airport (VNY) to the list of U.S. airports where controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) has been deployed.
Pre-departure clearance (PDC) operations will begin June 12 at Van Nuys at 5:30 a.m. local time, and full departure clearance (DCL) capabilities at VNY will begin Aug. 20.
VNY was chosen to be a site of FAA’s CPDLC expansion because of direct involvement from NBAA. The association helped connect the FAA and Harris with local based operators to help with testing of the new CPDLC capabilities.
“With this data comm expansion, FAA was on schedule and under budget, so they looked for additional airports where DCL capabilities would be beneficial,” said Heidi Williams, NBAA’s director of air traffic services and infrastructure. “As part of that review, NBAA recommended Van Nuys because it is a busy business aviation airport and there are operators based there that are equipped today to take advantage of the DCL capability. ”
Van Nuys is a vital business aviation airport in the Los Angeles area, and the addition of PDC and DCL capabilities will further contribute to implementation of NextGen technologies that NBAA and business aviation have embraced and are benefiting from.
“Business aircraft operators are becoming big players in the rollout of these technologies, and our industry and our association stand ready to support further rollouts of these capabilities going forward,” said Williams. “With the help of our member companies in Van Nuys, both FAA and Harris Corp. will be able to fully test the new system ahead of the Aug. 20 rollout to ensure that the process goes smoothly.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.