Runway incursions, when aircraft or vehicles either are unexpectedly occupying a runway or an airborne aircraft is approaching a runway already occupied, represent a dangerous situation. It is a serious occurrence, and the FAA has developed a classification system, Category A through D, that represents the potential level of collision. In 2023, the FAA recorded 1760 runway incursions. Since not all airports are controlled and not all incursions are reported, the actual numbers are probably higher. Except for 2020 and early 2021, the annual number of incursions has remained above 1700 since 2019. This is despite increased awareness of the problem.
Garmin has developed a software release for its integrated avionics platforms, Garmin G1000 NXi and G3000/5000, significantly mitigating this critical risk. Garmin has named its solution the Runway Occupancy Awareness (ROA), which utilizes the Surface Indications and Alert (SURF-IA) technology. Using data from GPS sensors and ADS-B out transmissions from aircraft and ground vehicles, this capability uses predictive movement of potential incursions by these vehicles.
Garmin plans to release it across their avionics platforms, with the initial certification by Textron Aviation now in place for their Cessna Caravan NXI-equipped airplane. Garmin NXi is on various general and business aviation aircraft, including Cirrus, Cessna, Beechcraft King Air, Diamond, Piper, and others. For larger aircraft equipped with the Garmin G3000/G5000 suite, the initial certification will be on Cessna’s Citation Excel, XLS, XLS+, and Gen 2. This certification is expected in early Fall 2024.
All ground vehicles and aircraft must be equipped with ADS-B out transponders for maximum system effectiveness. Transponders must transmit a position signal when operating on the ground or in the air (not in Standby mode). At many larger airports, ground signal transmission is a requirement (ON or ALT). At others, it isn’t widely enforced. I expect to see this become a more universal requirement at most airports..
When the Garmin software detects a potential risk, it uses both aural and visual alerts. On the PFD, it will activate the Crew Alerting System (CAS) with caution and warning annunciators, depending upon the risk, for example, “TRAFFIC RW01”. The Synthetic Vision on the PFD will also display a red or yellow rectangle representing the conflicting target. Red represents the highest alert level and potential collision risk within 15 seconds.
To provide even more information to the pilot, it will also display the potential incursion on the Garmin Safe Taxi on the PFD multifunction window.
The ROA capability adds another feature to Garmin’s Terminal Safety suite, including:
Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS), Garmin SafeTaxi, and Garmin Surface Watch. I use these capabilities on the aircraft I fly, which greatly increase my situational awareness.
More information can be found at Garmin.Com/Aviation.
