Airservices Australia VHF upgrade wins AIPM award

An Airservices Australia project to enhance communications between aircraft and air traffic controllers has taken out top honours at the Queensland Australian Institute of Project Management awards.

The project, which was the winner in the Telecommunications Technology Category, saw a major upgrade of the Very High Frequency (VHF) radio network with new digital equipment installed at 36 air traffic control communication sites in Australia.

Airservices General Manager Technology and Asset Services, Alastair Hodgson, said that a total of 160 VHF radios were replaced across the country.

“The project, completed in just a few months, also included the upgrade of all the VHF antennas, lightning protection and earthing associated with the radios and the installation of new communications cabinets to integrate the new technology into the existing system,” Hodgson said.

“With an unexpected decline in the reliability of the old radios, the project successfully dealt with the challenges of a condensed implementation schedule, and sourcing the skilled staff necessary to perform the work.”

The alliance created by this project is also expected to deliver efficiency benefits for future critical projects. Existing VHF radio equipment at control tower sites had reached the end of its operational service life, with some equipment having been in place since the 1970s.

The project, completed 13 months ahead of schedule, will now be considered for a national award at the Australian Institute of Project Management National Conference in Brisbane in early October.

CAPTION: The VHF Radio Replacement – Towers and C/ATIS Project team receiving their award in Brisbane.