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FEATURE | DOCKING GUIDANCE SYSTEMS
“A cooperation agreement with Swedish FMT, a technological leader in docking guidance, has been agreed and it is noteworthy that at last year’s Dubai Air Show, FMT provided guest speakers, at ADB’s invitation, to demonstrate their Visual Docking Guidance Systems”
complexity, with the advantage of giving the pilot a true view of the air- craft nosewheel approaching the correct stop position. Maintenance is straightforward with cleaning being required regu- larly depending on pollution levels. The only other check is alignment and this can be automatic. The manufacturer likes to emphasise that a mirror system is fail-safe. It cannot give a dangerous image; either the wheel is visible or not. Some airports have barriers around the mounting post to help prevent impact damage. Mirrors are made in a variety of sizes to accommodate differing aircraft types. Generally, the maximum size is the Airbus A300. Where a stand is used for a wide variety of aircraft, a two-high mirror set-up may be used, thus allowing both smaller types (lower mirror) and medium bodied air- craft (upper mirror) to be guided to the same stand. Safegate International AB is based in Malmö, Sweden and has sup- plied its Advanced - Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS) for safe docking to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Beijing’s international airport. During the last 30 years, Safegate has developed the Safedock Dock- ing Guidance System and the SafeControl Airfield Lighting Control and Monitoring System, aiming to maximise the number of aircraft an air- port can handle whilst maintaining a high level of safety. The Safedock System automatically guides an aircraft during its ap- proach to the stand with a stopping precision of just 10 cm. The Type 1 will maintain the Safedock stopping accuracy of 10 cm whether the stopping position is two or 65 metres from the terminal. The Type 1 will dock all known and future aircraft types with the same precision, includ- ing the A380.
The laser scanner of the new model has a 30 per cent longer range than earlier models, which means enhanced detection capability in rain
and fog. It also has an increased scanning rate for safer measuring and identification of aircraft. A wider scanning area also offers the possibility to include more and curved centrelines in a single system. The Gate Operating System (GOS) is complementary to the Safedock System, as it minimises delays and interruptions at the gates. However, an aircraft can be redirected, at short notice, due to technical problems or human error. With GOS the airport staff get a better overview and can monitor every event as well as carry out centralised maintenance of the docking system. Not only does the GOS information make gate allocation easier, the performance of the airport ground operations is enhanced, with gates utilised to maximum advantage.
Despite the technological advances, automation can still be compro- mised by human nature. Regulatory authorities emphasise certain basic concerns about the parking systems and their use. Typically, it is advised that a pilot should not assume that a stand is safe to enter simply be- cause the VDGS is active or illuminated. An aircraft should not be tax- ied onto a VDGS equipped stand when the guidance system is switched off, except under the guidance of a marshaller. It is not permissible for ground staff to activate a VDGS until a thorough inspection of the stand and its immediate surroundings has been made, in order to ensure that all equipment is correctly parked and that the stand is safe for use by the type of aircraft being operated. In these environmentally sensitive times, it is important to point out
that efficient parking can contribute to carbon reduction. By not having to wait for marshallers decreases waiting time, reduces Ground Power Unit (GPU) and/or aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) usage, thereby re- ducing associated fuel consumption and permitting a more rapid shut- down of the aircraft engines.
20 AIRSIDE INTERNATIONAL | MARCH 2012