AOPA Welcomes Improved WAAS Minima

The U.S. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says it welcomes the FAA's move to lower the nominal decision altitude for WAAS (wide area augmentation system)-based approaches to 200 feet from 250 feet.

The FAA's action means that pilots flying instrument GPS approaches enhanced by WAAS can get virtually the same performance as they do now from a ground-based ILS (instrument landing system).

AOPA says this is potentially great news for thousands of general aviation airports that can now get instrument approaches with the same minima as ILS, without all the expenses of an ILS system.

The organization's president, Phil Boyer said, "We have urged both Congress and the FAA to press ahead with the program because it improves air safety by providing the precision vertical guidance needed especially in poor weather conditions.  And it makes better use of the nation's system of airports because thousands that currently may only be used in good weather can become all-weather capable."

According to AOPA, it currently costs the federal government between $1 million and $1.5 million per runway end to install an ILS, while mapping and publishing a new WAAS-based LPV (localizer precision with vertical guidance) instrument approach procedure costs about $50,000.

But to get the lowest minima possible from WAAS, an airport needs much of the ancillary ground infrastructure required for an ILS system, including approach lights, precision runway markings, and a parallel taxiway, features that many general aviation airports don't have.

Although the FAA hasn't announced its implementation plans, AOPA expects that the first WAAS LPV approaches with the improved minima are likely to be overlays for existing ILS approaches.  Although these approaches are "quick wins," the real benefit to general aviation will come at airports or runways that do not currently have an ILS, AOPA says.  03-09-2006.

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