Garmin has achieved a significant milestone with the certification of its latest runway occupancy awareness (ROA) software, Surface Indications and Alert (SURF-IA). The announcement, made on August 14, marks a crucial advancement in aviation safety technology.
The SURF-IA software harnesses ADS-B traffic information to detect and alert pilots of potential runway incursions, whether from airborne traffic, other aircraft on the ground, or ground vehicles. This cutting-edge technology recently received FAA certification for its installation on a G1000 NXi-equipped Cessna Caravan, produced by Textron Aviation.
ROA technology plays a critical role in maintaining airport safety by analyzing GPS and ADS-B traffic data relevant to runway and taxiway activity. When a potential incursion is detected, the system delivers both visual and auditory warnings to the flight crew. According to Garmin, “ROA provides visual crew-alerting system (CAS) caution and warning annunciations on the pilot’s primary flight display (PFD) and highlights the runway yellow or red, depending on the level of threat, on Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT).” These alerts vary in severity, from a low-level caution to a high-level warning, which indicates a possible collision within 15 seconds.
Following this certification, Garmin is preparing to include the ROA software in the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the G5000 avionics suite, which will be installed in the Cessna Citation Excel, XLS, XLS+, and XLS Gen2. Certification for these models is anticipated in September. Garmin has also indicated that the technology will soon be available for a broader range of Garmin-equipped aircraft, from the G1000 NXi to the G5000.
Phil Straub, Garmin’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Aviation, emphasized the importance of this development, stating, “With the rate of runway incursions increasing, there is a real need for increased safety tools in the cockpit. Equipping pilots with this technology can reduce the risk of runway incursions and help provide confidence for pilots navigating busy and complex airports.”
This certification marks a major step forward in enhancing runway safety, providing pilots with the tools they need to navigate some of the world’s busiest airports with greater assurance.
