HOW
HOW TWO
HOW TWO COUNTRIES ARE CONTROLLING PLANES WITH ONE
TECHNOLOGY IN PARTICULAR.
>> Reporter: ON A TINGLE DAY,
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS IN THE
UNITED STATES WILL HANDLE
44,000 FLIGHTS, BASED ON FAA
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. THOSE PLANES CARRYING 3 MILLION
PASSENGERS.
PASSENGERS. A JOB THAT JUST GETS MORE
INTENSE WHEN THE HOLIDAY TRAVEL
SEASON GETS BUSY.
ON RUNWAY 8 RIGHT, A BOEING
787, IT'S USE OF NEW CASH WERE
FIBER COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY
ALLOWING IT WINGS TO NOTICEABLY
CURVE UP WARD TAKES TO THE AIR.
DESTINATION?
DESTINATION? TAPIE.
TAPIE.
TAPIE. AND THE DEPARTMENTTURE AND
TAKEOFF IS HANDLED HERE IN THE
HIGH-TECH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
TOWER OF VANCOUVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. JUST NORTH OF THE BORDER IN
CANADA, THE WORLD OF AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROL CAN FEEL
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. WHETHER IT'S ON THE NEWS OR IN
MOVIES, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN
THESE BEFORE.
THESE BEFORE. THEY'RE CALLED FLIGHT STRIPS,
AND THEY'RE TYPICALLY COMPUTER
PRINTOUTS OF INDIVIDUAL FLIGHTS
THAT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
THAN THEN MANEUVER AROUND TO
HELP MANAGE THOSE FLIGHTS.
IT'S A SYSTEM THAT WORKS, AND
IT'S WORKED FOR A LONG TIME.
FLYING IN THE U.S. HAS NEVER
BEEN SAFER.
BEEN SAFER. BUT YOU WON'T FIND THEM IN THE
TOWER IN VANCOUVER.
THERE ARE STRIPS HERE, BUT
THEY'RE ALL ELECTRONIC.
>> SEE HOW THIS ONE CHANGED
COLOR?
COLOR?
COLOR? >>
COLOR? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> THAT'S THEIR INDICATION TO
THEM THAT THEY'RE NOW TALKING
TO THEM.
TO THEM.
TO THEM. >> AND THESE STRIPS ARE
ANIMATED, COLORS WHEREIN THEM
CHANGE.
CHANGE.
CHANGE. WHILE IT'S SUNNY HERE, IT'S
FOGGY DOWN SOUTH.
>> THAT BLOCK, THEY'RE WAITING
FOR A TIME.
A TIME TO GO TO SEATTLE.
>> SO BY 2010, IT WAS IN USE IN
EVERY OPERATIONAL FACILITY IN
CANADA.
CANADA.
CANADA. >> Reporter: TOWER TERMINAL
OPERATIONS.
OPERATIONS. FOR CANADA, IT'S A BIG CHANGE
FROM THE WAY THEY USED TO DO
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> I
IT. >> I THINK THE BIG BENEFIT FOR
US ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO
SAFETY.
SAFETY.
SAFETY. THE REDUCTION OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF HUMAN ERROR FROM
MANUALLY LISTENING TO AND
RECORDING DATA, TO USING AN
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL SYSTEM TO
DO THAT AND ELIMINATE THAT
HUMAN ERROR.
HUMAN ERROR. >> Reporter: SO THAT SAME
ELECTRONIC FLIGHT STRIP THAT
APPEARS IN THE SCREENS IN FRONT
OF THESE AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS IN VANCOUVER WILL
ALSO SHOW UP IN OTHER AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITIES
ACROSS CANADA.
ACROSS CANADA. BUT CANADA'S AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL SYSTEM IS DIFFERENT IN
ANOTHER WAY.
ANOTHER WAY. UNLIKE THE FAA, IT IS NOT RUN
BY THE GOVERNMENT.
IT IS A PRIVATE NOT FOR PROFIT
CORPORATION THAT MAKES IT MONEY
LARGELY FROM FEES CHARGED TO
THE AIRLINES.
THE AIRLINES. IT WAS ONCE PART OF THE
GOVERNMENT, BUT WENT PRIVATE 23
YEARS AGO.
YEARS AGO. >> IT WAS A TIME WHEN THE
COUNTRY WAS REALLY KIND OF
STRAPPED FOR CASH.
>> Reporter: MARK MILLER ASK
AN AVIATION JOURNALIST AND
PILOT.
PILOT.
PILOT. >>
PILOT. >> PRIVATIZING THE AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL SYSTEM, IT GENERATED
CASH, AND IT -- YOU KNOW, IT
OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
THE SYSTEM MORE EFFICIENT.
>> Reporter: THIS COUNTRY'S
PRIVATE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
MONOPOLY HAS A NAME.
NAV CANADA.
NAV CANADA. AND THE TECHNOLOGY IT'S
DEVELOPED IS NOW SOLD TO OTHER
COUNTRIES.
COUNTRIES. IT'S AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM RECENTLY INSTALLED AT
LONDON'S MASSIVE HEATH ROW
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT. BUT WITH A MUCH BIGGER SYSTEM,
IN A COUNTRY WITH 10 TYPES THE
POPULATION, WITH MORE CONTROL
TOWERS AND MORE BUREAUCRACY,
THE U.S. FAA IS CATCHING UP.
THE U.S. TECHNOLOGICAL MAKEOVER
HAS BEEN ROLLING OUT IN STAGES
FOR YEARS.
FOR YEARS. IT HALES HAS A NAME, NEXTGEN.
THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, THOUGH,
WON'T MAKE IT TO SEA-TAC UNTIL
2025.
2025.
2025. NOW, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE
USED THROUGHOUT AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL IN BOTH COUNTRIES.
THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE.
COMING UP ON KING 5 NEWS AT
7:00, WE'LL LOOK AT ANOTHER
TECHNOLOGY WHERE THE U.S. IS
AHEAD OF CANADA, AND YOU'LL
FIND OUT, LEAST FROM ONE PILOT,