Ellicott City, MD – September 7, 2006 -- Norris Electro Optical Systems Corp. (Norris) recently conducted a successful demonstration of the Autonomous Runway Incursion Prevention System (ARIPS), at the T. F. Green Airport, Providence, Rhode Island.  ARIPS was specifically designed to detect and prevent airport runway collisions or incursions by providing instantaneous and direct warnings to flight crews.  ARIPS has been evaluated over the past five years under the program direction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with funding appropriated by the Transportation Sub-Committee of the United States Congress.

Six runway incursion demonstration scenarios were designed based on real-life incursions that recently occurred at Boston’s Logan International Airport, and similar incidents this year at Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles International Airports to show how ARIPS would directly alert pilots to a “near miss” with ample time for the pilot to react to a potential life-threatening situation. 

Norris successfully demonstrated the scenarios with live air traffic (commercial and general aviation) and vehicle traffic, addressing two of the most potentially dangerous types of incursions:  (1) two aircraft simultaneously moving along runways that intersect one another, and (2) one aircraft entering onto a runway from a taxiway and into the path of a second aircraft along the runway.   These “intersecting” types of incursions have proven to be the most difficult to prevent.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) maintains a list of “Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements,” available at http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/aviation_issues.htm. The list highlights recommendations that, if implemented, the Safety Board believes will have a significant impact on reducing deaths and injuries. One of its primary aviation improvements is to “Stop Runway Incursions or Ground Collisions of Aircraft,” with a safety system that will “give immediate warnings of probable collisions/incursions directly to flight crews in the cockpit.”  Victor Norris, president of Norris Electro Optical Systems, said “ARIPS has proven to address this issue and can be cost-effectively installed at airports as large as Chicago O’Hare or as small as Lexington, Kentucky. We are ready to help reduce the risks of aircraft crashes and make airline travel as safe as possible.”

ARIPS is an autonomous, sensor-based system (Safety Sentry) developed with Norris’s patented technology, FogEye®.  It employs ultraviolet light that is not affected by fog, rain or other weather conditions detrimental to safe airport operations.

ARIPS’ architecture allows for a non-intrusive installation by modifying existing runway and taxiway lights without disruption to normal airfield activities.  It requires no major integration with other systems, no runway or airfield construction, and runs on a power system integrated into an airport’s existing power sources.  ARIPS’ simplicity allows it to be procured and installed within 12 to 18 months. 

Mr. Reginald Harrison, ARIPS Program Manager, conducted the demonstration at the Providence, Rhode Island airport for Norris.  Mr. David Edwards, Assistant Vice President of Airfield Operations and Facilities, Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC), and Mr. Alan Andrade, Airport Operations Manager, made the Green Airport facilities available, assisted in the installations and participated in the demonstration of ARIPS’ incursion prevention capabilities.  The demonstration was also attended by Mr. Jaime Figueroa and Mr. Richard Simon of the FAA’s ATO Technology Development Department.  Mr. Russell Bien and Mr. Daniel Czech of the FAA’s Technical Center also witnessed the demonstration and are assisting the ATO Office by conducting an independent evaluation of this long-sought capability.