In the Spotlight

Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) Outer Baffles An FAA team consisting of Nick Subbotin and support technician Scott Smith repaired and modified the damaged Runway 20 Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) system at Truckee Tahoe Airport by installing and aligning custom metal baffles to meet FAA Flight Inspection Services requirements for sloping terrain on July 23, 2026. With the baffles installed, the VASI is ready to be recommissioned and now requires pilots to remain closer to the runway centerline and farther from the sloping terrain to see the VASI. During the winter of 2025, the VASI system light housing assemblies (LHAs) were damaged by snow removal equipment, leaving the system out of service. The VASI LHAs had previously been modified in 2024 by the FAA team with custom-fabricated metal shields, called baffles, to reduce the angular coverage of the lighting system on approach to Runway 20 to meet FAA Flight Inspection Services requirements for sloping terrain. The FAA team performed site surveys, installed baffles, and aligned them for VASI recommissioning. With the baffles installed, a pilot has to fly their aircraft closer to the runway centerline and away from the sloping terrain to see the VASI.

Nick Subbotin | ANG-E263

The Airports Emerging Technology Section furthered its collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Requirements and Capabilities Analysis (RCA) Office’s counter drone team at a test range outside Eglin Air Force Base, Florida on July 20-24, 2026. The RCA’s counter drone team analyzed the effectiveness and suitability of Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) technology by validating and verifying system performance. Section researchers provided analysis and validation on system performance in an airport environment.

Specifically, they applied spectrum analysis and subject matter expertise from General Dynamic Information Technology (GDIT) contractors and integrated the findings to identify risks and catalog vendor systems to optimize safety on and around airports and the National Airspace System (NAS). The collaboration fortified essential relationships, established a standardized process for sharing interagency C-UAS test data, and brought the Section closer to establishing a threshold for C-UAS radio frequency emissions/interference in an airport environment.

William Perkins | ANG-E263

Advent Health Heliport, DeLand, Florida Russ Gorman from the Airport Emerging Technologies section visited the Advent Health facility in DeLand, Florida, on July 13-17, 2026, in support of the Vertical Flight Data Standards project. This facility is one of six heliport sites chosen due to the abundance and uniqueness of obstacle data that will be used to support Airport Technology Research & Development (ATR) research. The goal of this project is to investigate cost-effective, practical ways to address gaps in the collection and maintenance of obstacle data that may present risks for lower-flying vertical flight aircraft, including helicopters and Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles. The project team members also performed an analysis to identify gaps in the information collected and stored versus the full set of data required by vertical flight aircraft. This gap analysis led to the development of a prototype schema design to enable the storage of the complete set of information required by vertical flight aircraft in the Airport Data and Information Portal (ADIP).

This trip focused on conducting surveys to collect obstacle information at the hospital heliport location and within the surrounding neighborhoods. The survey data will be analyzed and compared to publicly available third-party data, such as from Google Earth and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The prototype ADIP schema will also be validated during this analysis phase to ensure that the design is complete and that all data can be saved and retrieved correctly. If more data can be leveraged from third-party sources versus having to manually collect all the required data, then costs will be reduced and the data will be more readily available and maintained more easily, resulting in a richer set of up-to-date obstacle data.

Russ Gorman | ANG-E263

Counter UAS Testing Counter UAS Testing Jim Patterson, Sean Van Dongen, Joe Healey, and support contractors from the Airport Emerging Technologies section attended counter unmanned aircraft system (cUAS) testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on July 13-17, 2026. The testing was led by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The ATR team's primary role was to observe the TSA's testing to learn about their procedures and methodology and provide support as needed. This included observing the TSA's test director and flight team, and the operation of the UAS detection and mitigation systems. The ATR team also collected ambient radio frequency (RF) data and RF emission data for each mitigation system that was tested. The TSA evaluated multiple UAS detection and mitigation systems over the course of the week. The testing will continue during the week of July 20-24, 2026.

Joe Healey | ANG-E263

Jeremy Casey of the Airport Technology Research and Development Branch was interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board as a subject matter expert to support an investigation into an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) response. The interview focused on ARFF research conducted by the FAA and its implementation, and was recorded via Teams for inclusion in the official investigation record.

Jeremy Casey | ANG-E261