Frequentis successfully deploys smartStrips Terminal Flight Data Management (TFDM) for the US Air Force

Frequentis has supplied the US Air Force with a Military Terminal Flight Data Management (TFDM) solution featuring Electronic Flight Strips. The solution automates production, distribution and administrative management of flight plan information and other ATC/flight data for inter- and intrafacility coordination within and between the various airfield operations facilities (RAPCON - Radar Approach Control, Control Tower and Base Operations) and other command and control/emergency response nodes like the hospital and fire/crash/rescue dispatch. The system went live after passing a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) and obtaining the required FAA certifications for use in the NAS. It is now being used by military air traffic controllers at Vance AFB, Oklahoma to determine the effectiveness of Electronic Flight Progress Strips within the military ATC environment. The OUE will run for approximately one year. During the evaluation period, AFFSA will conduct a study of the efficiencies gained by using the system. These results will be used to determine whether the Air Force will initiate a requirement for electronic flights strips in all ATC facilities. Such a conversion would reduce the overall costs of Air Force ATC operations in terms of both paper strip costs and the man hours required to utilize paper strips, analyze flight activities at the end of each shift, and prepare traffic analysis reports. Charles S. Bowers, President Frequentis Defense, Inc., says: We are pleased to have this opportunity to help the USAF determine better, more efficient means of controlling air traffic and develop the next generation ATC environment. We are confident the Air Force will achieve the controller efficiencies and flight safety improvements they envision with the removal of paper flight strips. Our corporate experience with civil ATC users of Electronic Flight Strips throughout the world has been highly successful and we anticipate the same positive results with the Air Forces OUE.