Civil Aviation Future Needs: Recommendations of RTCA Special Committee 155 (SC-155) on User Requirements for Future Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Systems, Including Space Technology Applications

William T. Hardaker

Abstract:	Realizing the burgeoning field of space technology and its possible application to the needs of civil aviation, the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration on June 8, 1983 requested the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) to consider the establishment of a Special Committee to develop representative civil user views on the need, requirements, and conditions for the application of space technology to civil aviation. In response thereto, RTCA established Special Committee 155 in October 1983 but under a somewhat expanded terms of reference which included the "development of operational and technical requirements of users of the civil aviation system for communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) for at least the next quarter century" - later defined as the year 2010, Existing and proposed technologies including satellite technologies were to be examined to meet those requirements. A system architecture to satisfy the requirements was to be identified. Institutional issues pertaining to implementation, operation and maintenance of CNS systems were to be assessed including cost effectiveness, cost recovery and transition. Three working groups were established to accomplish these and other related tasks. They were designated as an Operations Working Group, a Technology Working Group and a Transition/Economics Working Group. From its inception, upwards of 300 people were involved in SC-155 activities, coming primarily from the user community, the providers of service including satellite-based services, U. S. government, some foreign governments, domestic and international civil aviation organizations, and the manufacturers of both ground and airborne equipment. Finally, after over 30 meetings and many hours of work both inside and outside of the formal meetings, SC-155 completed its work and it was approved by the RTCA Executive Committee on September 19, 1986. It should be noted that concurrent with the activity of SC-155 in the U. S., the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Special Committee on Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS) was busily engaged in addressing many of the same issues as SC-155. The FANS committee remains hard at work further developing solutions to the issues involved.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1987) June 23 - 25, 1987 Dayton, Ohio
Pages:	2 - 6
Cite this article:	Hardaker, William T., "Civil Aviation Future Needs: Recommendations of RTCA Special Committee 155 (SC-155) on User Requirements for Future Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Systems, Including Space Technology Applications," Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1987), Dayton, Ohio, June 1987, pp. 2-6.
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