Sensis System Certified for En Route Separation

Sensis Corp.'s Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) deployment around four airports in Colorado achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC) from FAA, making it the first multilateration system accepted in the National Airspace System by FAA for the separation of en route aircraft by air traffic controllers, according to the company. Yampa Valley Regional, Garfield County Regional, Steamboat Springs and Craig-Moffat County Airports have surveillance coverage through the FAA Surveillance and Broadcast Services (FAA SBS) program office and Colorado Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division (CDOT) Wide Area Multilateration Project. The system uses Sensis Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) to provide FAA air traffic controllers at the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center with traffic information. "Increasing flight safety by eliminating gaps in radar coverage in the Rocky Mountains is a critical goal for the Colorado Department of Transportation," said Travis Vallin, CDOT Aeronautics Director. "With the Sensis WAM system, we now have accurate surveillance of flights in this area during all weather conditions, enabling an increase in the capacity and efficiency of flights in this economically vital area." The Sensis MDS uses multiple sensors to triangulate aircraft location based on transponder signals. Additionally, every MDS sensor deployed by Sensis also supports Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).