Gondola and aircraft

[TeachMe]

Interesting, perhaps this is old news but have not seen it here. Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are building a new gondola that goes up to 483 m above the valley floor. This is about aircraft safety and makes me think of the US airforce jet that severed a cable in Italy(???).

From Whistler Blackcomb - PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola - PEAK2PEAK Gondola - Construction Blog Blog Archive THE PEAK 2 PEAK’S OBSTACLE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM (http://www.peak2peakgondola.com/news/?p=46)


When construction began on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, the track and haul rope line across Fitzsimmons Valley was identified on all aviation maps for the Whistler area and communicated through the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) service.

Brand-new technology developed in Norway called OCAS (Obstacle Collision Avoidance System) has been installed on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. This state-of-the-art system constantly scans the area surrounding the P2P line with radar. If aircraft is detected, the radar alerts the system and immediately tracks the aircraft, calculates its speed, heading and altitude. If a collision hazard exists, the pilot is warned by flashing high intensity strobe lights and an audible warning transmitted over all aircraft radio frequencies.


OCAS’s Norwegian team was in Whistler the first week of July to install and test the P2P system. The system is now operational with track ropes strung across the valley.

The OCAS system is much safer than traditional marking systems and is less obtrusive because it only activates if an aircraft is in the area. In the event of failure, OCAS will automatically produce messages to NOTAM.

[punkalouver]

Some details are here in AIC 7/08

http://www.navcanada.ca/ContentDefinitionFiles/Publications/AeronauticalInfoProducts/AIP/Current/PDF/EN/part_5_aic/5aic_eng.pdf

and here.

OCAS system (http://www.ocas-as.no/03_engelske_sider/About_OCAS/OCAS_system.htm)

I see the OCAS system says "the pilot is warned by either flashing lights AND/OR aural warning transmitted over THE VHF band",

while the Whistler site says "If a collision hazard exists, the pilot is warned by flashing high intensity strobe lights AND an audible warning transmitted over ALL aircraft radio frequencies.",

while the AIC from the government says "The system detects aircraft on any track that may conflict within five nautical miles (NM) from the surface to 165 feet above the obstacle. The system's first warning is the activation of white strobe lights, 30 seconds prior to conflict. These strobes are medium intensity during the day and low intensity at night. The second warning, 20 seconds prior to conflict, consists of an audio message transmitted on PRE-SELECTED VHF frequencies stating "POWER LINE, POWER LINE" or whatever type of obstruction is applicable. The timing of each warning can be modified as required by the approving authority."

I would suspect that the last one is the most accurate. What these preselected frequencies are is a mystery but if I had to guess, I would say 126.7 and 121.5. The OCAS website shows two other installations in Canada in B.C.

[MMEMatty]

The Whistler - Blackcomb cable is an incredible piece of engineering. I was fortunate enough to visit Whistler earlier in the year, and the distance that it has to cross, unsupported, is absolutely incredible. Hope to go back when its finished, and have a trip across in one of the glass - bottomed gondolas...

To get back to the original point of the post though, with the cable being unsupported, where exactly would the strobe lights be located? on either valley side, or somehow on the cable itself?

Matty