O'Hare Gets Digital Radar

By Barbara Cook / July 28, 1996

<H1>O'Hare Gets Digital Radar</H1><I>Washington, D.C. </I>- The Department of Transportation has commissioned a new digital ground radar system at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. DOT Secretary Federico Peña said that the new equipment being installed in the city's FAA facilities, in addition to a new pay incentive plan for air traffic controllers, will dramatically enhance aviation operations in the Midwest.

The surface radar at O'Hare will penetrate rain, snow, fog and darkness to allow controllers to see all airplanes and vehicles moving on the runways, according to the FAA. The agency is installing 37 of these ground radar systems at U.S. airports to reduce the probability of runway and taxiway accidents.

In addition to the installation at O'Hare, the FAA will add a new display computer enhancement 10 months ahead of schedule at the Chicago Center in Aurora, Ill., which controls en-route aircraft in the region. This system is one of five being installed by the agency at the nation's busiest airports.

Chicago also is the location of the FAA's pay incentive program, which was made possible by recent reforms in the agency's personnel and acquisition regulations.

The program will provide a bonus of 10 percent of base pay for controllers and technicians at the Aurora Center and at O'Hare Airport, as well as in New York and California. The facilities involved in the pay incentive program are considered the most stressful for employees and the hardest to staff.