Originally Posted by
Drop The Dunlops
Holy Schmoly, I didn't realise they had been around that long!!!
I thought my Company was progressive when it had them fitted to some 737's in 1998!!!
You're not really that far out. The original 727 cert was, in reality, a one off. After the authorities took a long hard look at everything, it was back to square one for the next cert - I know because I was part of the team that got hit by the "Proof of Concept" 100 landings to certify the CRJ to CAT IIIa.
One of the biggest things was not the actual approach but how to show TCAS advisories & to have all the data that's crept onto the PFD over the years - so-called "ALL Phases" (sorry didn't mean to shout but it looks too like the AII approach mode otherwise). The Manually-flown HUD approaches have to meet the JAA (EASA?) HUD-3XX requirements IIRC.
BTW I don't have JAR AWO with me but I understood CAT IIIa was for DH less than 100 feet but not less than 50. The real limit is the Minimum Break-off Height - 50% above the min altitude at which you just touch the wheels in a go-around - a hairy thing to fly - I was in the back & it was easy thanks to our project pilot, "Latch". You can fly manually to CAT II w/o HUD guidance in both Canada & the US (if the manufacturer has already certified it) but not JAA-land.