Altimetry aspects of automatic altitude reporting
HERBERT J. SANDBERG · Journal of Aircraft · 1965
The purpose of automatic altitude reporting is to reduce the amount of communication between the pilot and the controller. Nowhere in the recommendations for Project Beacon is better altitude measuring equipment, nor means for obtaining better vertical separation, recommended. An analysis of the accuracies to be expected, both in altimetry and in the automatically reported altitude, shows that systems installed under current rules and regulations could cause more communication between the controller and the pilot than now exists. This is because the combined tolerances of the altitude reporting equipment and of the current altimeters are such that one could even question the now-legal separations that are used. The conclusions are that certain ground rules must be established to make the program of automatic altitude reporting a success. These are 1) the tolerances for altimetry systems must be considerably tightened, 2) the pilot must fly the same altitude information that is being reported, 3) the controller must be educated to the fact that instruments do have errors, and finally, 4) the criteria governing vertical separation should be carefully re-examined.