Australia Moving toward Regular Ground- Augmented Satellite Approaches

Keith McPherson, the manager of GNSS (global navigation satellite system) for Airservices Australia, told the recent FAA New Technologies Workshop, that black-label (production) GBAS (ground-based augmentation system) units could be available for category-1 approaches in the first quarter of 2008.

In addition, Mr. McPherson said that operational approval for a satellite navigation GRAS (ground-based regional augmentation system) for instrument approaches is planned for December 2008.

Red-label (prototype) GBAS Cat-1 systems will be available at Memphis, Sydney, Bremen Germany, and Malaga Spain, for certification by the first quarter of 2008, and if there are no changes needed during the certification process, black label (production) units could be available during the first quarter of 2008, Mr. McPherson said.

Qantas has helped this overall process considerably. The airline currently has nine B-737-800s with GBAS avionics, Mr. McPherson said, and decided last December to retrofit its other 24 -737s.  Its 20 ordered A380s will come fitted with GBAS avionics, and all of its new Boeing airplanes will be fitted with GBAS avionics.  This includes the B-787s that will start arriving this year, and the B-747-8s that will begin arriving in 2009.  Because of these investments, Qantas began pushing AirServices to make the system happen.

In August 2005, Airservices decided to go ahead with a Honeywell-provided beta GBAS Cat-I facility, and began flight trials with Qantas that lasted 12 months.  Last fall, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approved Qantas to fly the approach in revenue service, with certain restrictions.

According to Mr. McPherson, there is growing demand from airlines for a B-777 GBAS retrofit, and Airbus is offering GBAS avionics as an option on future buys.  (B-777-200/300 Block 2 avionics or above are candidates for retrofitting.)  He also said that international RFPs (requests for proposals) and requests for expressions of interest have already been issued for GBAS Cat-I systems.  01-27-2007.

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