Embry-Riddle to Receive Collier Trophy for ADS-B Role

Daytona Beach, Fla. – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is among the winners of the 2007 Collier Trophy, awarded to a team of organizations that collaborated to develop the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) system.

Embry-Riddle pioneered the implementation and testing of ADS-B in its aircraft. The flight training fleets at its campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., are fully equipped with the new technology.

With ADS-B, both pilots and controllers see radar-like displays with accurate traffic data from satellites, updated in real time. Pilots also have access to weather services, terrain maps, and flight information services. The improved situational awareness enables pilots to fly at safe distances from each another with less assistance from air traffic controllers.

The Collier Trophy is given annually by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) to companies and individuals for “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles.” Past recipients have included Orville Wright, Chuck Yeager, the Apollo 11 crew, Burt Rutan, and the developers of GPS.

The award will be presented to Embry-Riddle on June 12 at a NAA ceremony in Arlington, Va.
“We’re proud to have been a leader in implementing this revolutionary technology,” says John P. Johnson, president of Embry-Riddle. “It is fair to say that it has reduced the risk of mid-air and near mid-air collisions dramatically at both of our campuses.”

“In the mid-1990s, we had a GPS recording system we were using to record and download training flights for debriefs. So when we learned about ADS-B, we could see its obvious utility,” recalls Sean Jeralds, associate dean of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus.

“Embry-Riddle pioneered ADS-B in the flight training environment in 2003, when we first acquired and installed the system,” says Frank Ayers, chairman of flight training at the Daytona Beach campus. “We were also the first flight operation to combine the ADS-B with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.”