As Hilton Head airport expands, tower tech gets a major upgrade. Here’s what changed
The air traffic control tower at Hilton Head Island Airport has a new state-of-the-art situational awareness system, a major technology upgrade intended to make flying in and out of the airport safer.
Before the installation of the system, which was announced last week by Beaufort County, air traffic controllers in the privately-owned tower had to use their eyes and radio communications to see airborne traffic. Now, with the new uAvionix FlightLine APRT system, employees can see a live display of aircraft positions, enhancing their awareness and making operations safer, the county said in a press release. Surveillance is delivered through receivers installed on the tower, the county said.
The airport was one of 91 ATC towers in the U.S. without any surveillance tools to see airborne traffic, the county said. The tower is operated by Robinson Aviation, a private company, rather than the Federal Aviation Administration. Robinson is deploying the technology across its towers, the company said in a press release from Beaufort County.
Because Robinson operates Hilton Head’s tower, employees were able to continue to work with pay during last fall’s government shutdown.
Hilton Head Island Airport’s expansion
The technology comes at a time when Hilton Head Island Airport is undergoing a major expansion. The airport is adding a new 27,000-square-foot terminal building to its existing 18,000-square-foot facility, making more room for screening, gate seating and retail.
Jet bridges, final security fencing and flooring work were completed in and around the new building in January; the terminal, which constitutes phase one of the project, is expected to open April 17, according to an update posted online.
Phase two, which will happen when phase one is finished, will be a remodel of the current terminal, which hasn’t been renovated since the 1990s. After a 2018 runway expansion more than doubled the airport’s passenger count in just a year, the need for upgrades became more clear than ever.