FAROS Evaluation at DFW

Wouldn't you want to be alerted if you were about to land on a runway that was occupied by another aircraft or vehicle? Such is the purpose behind the Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal, commonly referred to as FAROS, a runway safety concept pioneered by ATCorp. FAROS began Operational Evaluation at Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) airport on six runways on September 30, 2008. FAROS "flashes" the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights, an existing system installed at many airports around the world, to warn pilots approaching the runway that the runway is occupied. Pilots observing the flashing signal are expected to contact the control tower to resolve the situation or perform a go-around, if necessary, to avoid a potential high-energy collision. The FAROS idea arose from a 1991 accident at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that killed 34 people. To date, the system at Dallas/Fort Worth is performing properly, providing an extra layer of safety while not impacting the efficient flow of air traffic at the high-density facility. ATCorp designed and installed the necessary modifications to the existing Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights, developed and installed a system to communicate with and monitor the status of the PAPIs, and conducted certification and maintenance training of DFW maintenance personnel. ATCorp engineers supported integration testing with the MIT Lincoln Laboratory-developed Runway Status Light System (RWSL).