FEATURE | DOCKING GUIDANCE SYSTEMS
Precision parking on the ramp
To conform with ICAO Annex 14, Airside International reviews the latest in aircraft docking systems which have one eye on the environment.
18 AIRSIDE INTERNATIONAL | MARCH 2012
he ubiquitous marshaller, complete with wands, has been a common sight at airports and remains so at many today. Ma- jor airports, faced with growing numbers of flights and logistic problems, have moved into the automated era and are exten- sively fitted with precision docking systems to ensure ramp integrity and accurate alignment with passenger airbridges, while conforming with ICAO’s Annex 14, which lays down the standards for aircraft docking guidance systems. Although the term Visual Docking Guidance Systems (VDGS) is in common usage, the systems are also referred to as Nose-in Docking Guid- ance Systems or Stand Entry Guidance Systems (SEG). Typical VDGS cur- rently in use, in the UK, include Azimuth Guidance for Nose-in Stands (AGNIS) and Parallax Aircraft Parking Aid (PAPA). Mirrors can be used to provide a pilot’s eye view of the nosewheel position. As technology has evolved, major airports have increasingly adopted Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (AVDGS), offering electronically displayed in- formation, such as the azimuth position of the aircraft and stopping dis- tance. In some cases, the AVDGS can determine aircraft type automati- cally and sets the relevant guidance parameters accordingly. Inevitably, manufacturers have been keen to address this market. ADB is a Siemens Company that develops and manufactures a full range of Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) products. It also produced the Video Docking System (VDOCKS), which became the first video-based docking system in the USA, when it was installed at the Delta Airlines hub in Boston Logan International Airport.
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VDOCKS is based on video sensors and image processing that locates and tracks aircraft approaching the stop position at the gate. Being a video-based system, apron surveillance is an integral part of VDOCKS, via the airport network; videos can also be made available to other users such as airlines and security. It is said to provide pilots with precise guid- ance information during the docking process and increases the airside
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