Cyclic Hotline
12th Jan 2001, 04:52
Aviation Technologies Invention Will Benefit Hundreds of Small Airports
SALEM, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2001--
New equipment will enable the development of precision approaches at small airports without extensive infrastructure
Pilots soon will be able to fly precision instrument approaches to hundreds of airports serving smaller U.S. cities and towns using new navigation capabilities being developed by UPS Aviation Technologies.
The new equipment will provide the pilot with both vertical and horizontal guidance to the runway, using signals from the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) for the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The development of this new capability will allow precision approaches to be developed for almost any airport of appropriate length, without the need for expensive infrastructure on the ground. In many cases aircraft equipped with the new technology would be able to land at smaller airports in weather conditions that would force aircraft without the equipment to divert to another airport.
"The airline experience demonstrates that stabilized instrument approaches with vertical guidance are the safest, yet the majority of general aviation airports don't have this precision approach capability," said Phil Boyer, President of the 365,000-member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "This new receiver delivers on the WAAS promise of vertical approach guidance to thousands of GA airports."
The UPS Aviation Technologies equipment will be uniquely capable of providing precision approach capability using GPS, because it independently determines the integrity of the WAAS satellite signals and warns the pilot if the signal becomes degraded or is unusable.
The WAAS system consists of two satellites in geostationary orbit over the United States that augment the existing worldwide constellation of 26 Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Conventional GPS navigation systems provide horizontal guidance with accuracy of about 10 meters. The WAAS system improves the horizontal and vertical accuracy to about 3 meters.
Although the WAAS signal has been proven accurate and reliable, experts have criticized it in recent months because it does not currently broadcast reliable indications of its integrity. For that reason, the FAA has not yet approved its use for safety-of-life applications, such as precision instrument approaches.
Researchers at UPS Aviation Technologies discovered a way to overcome that obstacle through a process that will determine the three-dimensional integrity of the aircraft's position autonomously, within the navigation receiver.
With the UPS Aviation Technologies WAAS navigation system, pilots will receive continuous horizontal and vertical guidance to runways with a published approach procedure. If the system detects that either the vertical or the horizontal guidance are out of tolerance or can not be assured, the pilot will receive a warning. Even though the likelihood of an out-of-tolerance signal is expected to be very low, the ability to warn the pilot in such an instance is essential to certifying WAAS for precision approaches.
The WAAS navigation system will allow pilots to descend to as low as 250 feet of the ground with vertical guidance. The great majority of current approach procedures do not have vertical guidance and are therefore limited to higher approach altitudes. These "non-precision" approaches have been identified by the NTSB as one of the major causes of aircraft accidents.
Because of its ability to provide both vertical and horizontal guidance, the UPS Aviation Technologies WAAS system will become the first GPS equipment in the world to enable precision approaches at airports that aren't equipped with extensive ground infrastructure.
FAA is currently tackling the issues associated with certifying a signal integrity monitor that is an integral part of the WAAS signal in Space. That would remove the requirement for autonomous integrity monitoring such as the system UPS is developing. However, the agency is not expected to approve the integrated system until late 2002 or early 2003. Until then, the UPS Aviation Technologies WAAS system will provide the horizontal/vertical guidance and integrity monitoring needed for precision approaches.
Eventually when the FAA approves integrated WAAS integrity monitoring for safety-of-life applications such as precision approaches, the UPS Aviation Technologies autonomous integrity monitoring system will serve as the backup should there ever be a problem with the WAAS signal.
UPS Aviation Technologies will seek to certify its new GPS WAAS system later this year. The company has not yet determined if it will be possible to upgrade its existing GPS navigation systems with the WAAS precision approach capability, or whether the capability will only be offered in new products.
UPS Aviation Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service, Inc. and is closely aligned with UPS Airlines, the ninth largest airline in North America. UPS Aviation Technologies is a world leader in the development of ADS-B technology, a critical component of free-flight air traffic management systems, and a leading developer of GPS technology for aviation. The company can be found on the World Wide Web at: \www.upsat.com. --30--lk/at* CONTACT: UPS
Aviation Technologies
SALEM, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2001--
New equipment will enable the development of precision approaches at small airports without extensive infrastructure
Pilots soon will be able to fly precision instrument approaches to hundreds of airports serving smaller U.S. cities and towns using new navigation capabilities being developed by UPS Aviation Technologies.
The new equipment will provide the pilot with both vertical and horizontal guidance to the runway, using signals from the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) for the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The development of this new capability will allow precision approaches to be developed for almost any airport of appropriate length, without the need for expensive infrastructure on the ground. In many cases aircraft equipped with the new technology would be able to land at smaller airports in weather conditions that would force aircraft without the equipment to divert to another airport.
"The airline experience demonstrates that stabilized instrument approaches with vertical guidance are the safest, yet the majority of general aviation airports don't have this precision approach capability," said Phil Boyer, President of the 365,000-member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "This new receiver delivers on the WAAS promise of vertical approach guidance to thousands of GA airports."
The UPS Aviation Technologies equipment will be uniquely capable of providing precision approach capability using GPS, because it independently determines the integrity of the WAAS satellite signals and warns the pilot if the signal becomes degraded or is unusable.
The WAAS system consists of two satellites in geostationary orbit over the United States that augment the existing worldwide constellation of 26 Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Conventional GPS navigation systems provide horizontal guidance with accuracy of about 10 meters. The WAAS system improves the horizontal and vertical accuracy to about 3 meters.
Although the WAAS signal has been proven accurate and reliable, experts have criticized it in recent months because it does not currently broadcast reliable indications of its integrity. For that reason, the FAA has not yet approved its use for safety-of-life applications, such as precision instrument approaches.
Researchers at UPS Aviation Technologies discovered a way to overcome that obstacle through a process that will determine the three-dimensional integrity of the aircraft's position autonomously, within the navigation receiver.
With the UPS Aviation Technologies WAAS navigation system, pilots will receive continuous horizontal and vertical guidance to runways with a published approach procedure. If the system detects that either the vertical or the horizontal guidance are out of tolerance or can not be assured, the pilot will receive a warning. Even though the likelihood of an out-of-tolerance signal is expected to be very low, the ability to warn the pilot in such an instance is essential to certifying WAAS for precision approaches.
The WAAS navigation system will allow pilots to descend to as low as 250 feet of the ground with vertical guidance. The great majority of current approach procedures do not have vertical guidance and are therefore limited to higher approach altitudes. These "non-precision" approaches have been identified by the NTSB as one of the major causes of aircraft accidents.
Because of its ability to provide both vertical and horizontal guidance, the UPS Aviation Technologies WAAS system will become the first GPS equipment in the world to enable precision approaches at airports that aren't equipped with extensive ground infrastructure.
FAA is currently tackling the issues associated with certifying a signal integrity monitor that is an integral part of the WAAS signal in Space. That would remove the requirement for autonomous integrity monitoring such as the system UPS is developing. However, the agency is not expected to approve the integrated system until late 2002 or early 2003. Until then, the UPS Aviation Technologies WAAS system will provide the horizontal/vertical guidance and integrity monitoring needed for precision approaches.
Eventually when the FAA approves integrated WAAS integrity monitoring for safety-of-life applications such as precision approaches, the UPS Aviation Technologies autonomous integrity monitoring system will serve as the backup should there ever be a problem with the WAAS signal.
UPS Aviation Technologies will seek to certify its new GPS WAAS system later this year. The company has not yet determined if it will be possible to upgrade its existing GPS navigation systems with the WAAS precision approach capability, or whether the capability will only be offered in new products.
UPS Aviation Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service, Inc. and is closely aligned with UPS Airlines, the ninth largest airline in North America. UPS Aviation Technologies is a world leader in the development of ADS-B technology, a critical component of free-flight air traffic management systems, and a leading developer of GPS technology for aviation. The company can be found on the World Wide Web at: \www.upsat.com. --30--lk/at* CONTACT: UPS
Aviation Technologies