Radar display system for San Bernardino International Airport is on the horizon

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – A timeline to install radar equipment to improve safety at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) has been set, thanks to a provision in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. 

The bipartisan legislation, signed by President Biden in May, reauthorized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years while improving infrastructure, aviation safety, consumer protections, and workforce development. 

One part of the safety improvements includes modifications to existing requirements for Federal Contract Tower radar equipment. 

The bill requires the FAA to allow airports in the Federal Contract Tower program to obtain and install radar display systems within two years of the bill's enactment.

Why it matters: An uptick in the number of cargo jets using SBD in recent years, mixed with the variety of aircraft landing at the airport, including passenger planes and general aviation, has caused local pilots to speak out about the lack of a radar display system in the control tower. Pilots say a control tower that can see the local airspace would mean a safer sky for SBD and other local airports. 

Since Community Forward Redlands first reported on this issue in 2023, Rep. Pete Aguilar and the Committee on Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) have joined local aviation officials in pushing for a solution. 

Details: San Bernardino airport is the 18th busiest federal contract tower in the nation in terms of heavy aircraft.

The SBD control tower manages incoming aircraft using radios and visual aids, such as binoculars.

Mark Gibbs, director of aviation at SBD, explained that the airport's lack of a radar display system does not make it "unsafe"; however, the system would "absolutely" benefit the airport. 

"I've been fighting for it for a long time," said Gibbs when he first discussed the issue with Community Forward in 2023.

The San Bernardino airport tower opened in 2008. It became eligible for an FAA radar system in 2021 when the airport was accepted into the FAA Control Tower Program. However, the radar display system can be installed only by the FAA, explained Gibbs.

Despite its requests, SBD has been unable to secure the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), which is the radar display system approved by the FAA.

The new law removes red tape, requiring the FAA to allow contract towers, like SBD, to either procure the radar system through the FAA or purchase the equipment directly through the manufacturer. 

Reaction: The push for radar at San Bernardino airport has been a collaborative effort involving local stakeholders and elected officials.

Ted Gablin, president of Redlands Airport Association, raised the issue with local authorities over a year ago and commented on the development.

"I am very excited about it," Gablin said. "It really mandates that they do something in the 24-month period, so that's a lot more finite than what we had before."

In the spring of 2023, Gablin brought the issue to U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA 33), whose district includes parts of North Redlands, including Redlands' airport and SBD.

Aguilar pushed for the bill's language to modify requirements for radar display systems in small and medium-sized airports. 

"I am thrilled that after months of advocacy in Congress and with the Federal Aviation Administration, this year's FAA funding bill recognized the importance of installing radar display systems at control towers to ensure the greater safety of our pilots, passengers, ground crew and residents," said Aguilar by email on June 18. 

Aguilar is working with the FAA administrator to prioritize SBD in the installation of a radar display system. 

"I will continue working alongside the FAA and advocate on behalf of our community so that the San Bernardino International Airport remains a priority in the ongoing effort to install radar display systems."