Named Surf-A, Honeywell’s runway surface alert system provides a “third set of eyes” for pilots, according to Thea Feyereisen, a senior technical fellow at Honeywell Aerospace. This was stated during a flight demonstration at Boeing Field in Seattle.
Honeywell Aerospace has been testing Surf-A software on a modified Boeing 757 test aircraft across the U.S. and Europe in June to demonstrate its technology to airline officials and other stakeholders. If all goes as planned, Surf-A could receive FAA certification and become available for retrofit within 12 to 18 months.
Surf-A issues auditory alerts and optional text warnings on navigation displays to warn pilots of potential runway incursions or other wrong-surface events such as taking off or landing on taxiways. The software uses GPS and ADS-B data within runway engagement zones to monitor traffic and provides an auditory alert when it determines that an airplane is on a collision trajectory within the next 30 seconds.
The first quarter of 2024 saw 451 runway incursion events reported by the FAA, up from 367 during the same period in 2023. Annually, approximately 1,700 runway incursions are reported in the U.S., with about two-thirds resulting from pilot deviations while air traffic control issues and wayward ground vehicles account for the rest.
In October 2023 at William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) in Houston, a Raytheon Hawker 850 clipped the tail of a Cessna Mustang during takeoff due to non-compliance with ATC instructions by the Hawker crew. Although no injuries were reported, both jets sustained heavy damage.
While collisions remain rare, close calls have become increasingly common. By providing earlier notice of potential collisions, Surf-A could significantly enhance safety measures according to Feyereisen.
On January 2 at Tokyo Haneda Airport, five people died when an Airbus A350 operated by Japan Airlines landed on an occupied runway where a Japan Coast Guard de Havilland Dash 8 awaited takeoff clearance without ATC approval. Investigators determined that if equipped with Surf-A, warnings would have allowed time for evasive action.
A subsequent close call occurred in April at JFK when a Swiss Air Airbus A330 received takeoff clearance while four other jetliners were cleared by ATC to cross its path. The A330 crew aborted their takeoff upon seeing other aircraft crossing.
In another incident at JFK in January 2023 involving an American Airlines 777-200 missing taxiing instructions and crossing into Delta Air Lines' path during takeoff roll was mitigated by ASDE-X alerts which prompted controllers to cancel Delta's clearance promptly.
During these incidents where ASDE-X systems failed or did not issue timely alerts due to specific thresholds not being met or human error among air traffic controllers as explained by Feyereisen—Surf-A’s real-time notifications could provide crucial early warnings directly accessible by pilots themselves thereby reducing dependency on external monitoring systems susceptible to errors or delays.
Surf-A builds upon Honeywell’s existing certified systems like SmartRunway/SmartLanding which use GPS location combined with geographical data for onboard alerts against overruns or wrong-surface landings enhancing pilot awareness further incorporating real-time ADS-B data through Surf-IA (Situational Awareness on Airport Surface with Indications & Alerts).
While developers intend Surf-IA primarily for new aircraft forward-fit options—the more basic yet effective Surf-A can be retrofitted affordably across various capable aircraft levels ensuring widespread implementation improving overall aviation safety standards according To Feyereisen's aspirations shared during demonstrations.
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