Introduction and Overview

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Research Topics in Aerospace book series (RTA)

Abstract

Since more than 10 years, an increasing interest is observed worldwide in remote control of low-traffic airports by means of some kind of virtual control tower. As outlined in the Foreword by Steve Ellis and in the Preface to this book, “Virtual Tower” depicts the idea of replacing the conventional control tower on airports by an advanced sensor-based control center. It eliminates the need for direct visual traffic surveillance and consequently the requirement for a costly tower building at an exposed location in visual distance from the runway. The virtual/remote tower idea is connected with a paradigm change in air transportation due to the growth of low-cost carriers and the corresponding increased usage of small airports which, nevertheless, require controlled airspace provided by air navigation service providers (ANSPs). Cost constraints require new ideas and concepts to meet these requirements, and the control of one or more small airports from a remote location without direct visual surveillance from a local tower is one of these visions.

After providing in Sect. 1 of this introduction some basics of air traffic control in the airport vicinity, I will continue in Sect. 2 with a personal account of Virtual and Remote Control Tower research from the DLR perspective, starting around 2000. In Sect. 3, I present an overview of goals, requirements, technical issues, achievements, and initial steps towards industrialization. The concluding Sect. 4 contains an overview of the 13 chapters and two technical Appendices.

Keywords

Airport control tower Control zone ICAO Remote tower operation Virtual tower RTO concept RTO history Video panorama Augmented vision Goals Achievements 
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Flight GuidanceBraunschweigGermany

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