Digital Towers
Explainer

The ATC tower workstation, in a classic tower and a digital tower

A tower controller's workstation is everything within reach: the view of the airport, the radio, the list of flights, the displays and the controls. A digital tower keeps the job and changes where the view comes from. Here is what is on the desk, and what changes.

What a tower controller works with

  • The view. In a classic tower, the window. Controllers watch runways and taxiways directly. FAA rules even cover light signals aimed at aircraft without a radio. FAA JO 7110.65, visual signals
  • The radio and phone panel. A voice switch lets the controller talk to pilots on each frequency and call other facilities.
  • Flight data (strips). One record per flight: callsign, aircraft type, route, runway. Many towers used paper strips; the FAA's TFDM program is implementing electronic flight strips in towers. FAA TFDM
  • Surface surveillance. At busy airports a display tracks aircraft and vehicles on the ground. The FAA lists 35 major airports with its ASDE-X system. FAA ASDE-X
  • Weather and airport status. Wind, visibility, altimeter setting, runway lights and equipment status.

What changes in a digital or remote tower

  • The window becomes a video panorama. Day and night cameras plus infrared or thermal cameras feed a wall of screens. FAA remote tower systems
  • A zoom camera. A pan-tilt-zoom camera can follow a single aircraft. The European standard EUROCAE ED-240A covers visual tracking and pan-tilt-zoom object following. EUROCAE ED-240A
  • Labels on the picture. Systems can draw labels and tracks over the video, which a real window cannot do.
  • The room can be anywhere. The workstation sits in a centre that can serve one or several airports. See the connections view for which centres control which airports.
  • The radio, strips and displays stay. The controller still talks to pilots and keeps flight data the same way.

Requirements and standards

In the United States the FAA has published a concept of operations, a safety assessment, operational visual requirements and draft technical requirements for remote and digital tower systems. Public copies:

In Europe, EUROCAE ED-240A sets minimum performance standards for the camera and display chain. See also regulators and standards.

Who builds tower workstations for digital towers

Each vendor page lists the sites public sources link it to. Compare vendors by number of sites.

See one working

TowerScope is an independent, public-data prototype of a tower workstation: live traffic, a tower cab view and electronic strips, for learning only. towerscope.net/workstation

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