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Old 4th Aug 2009, 11:28
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OzExpat


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Indeed, if the reference to "ILS Locator" was actually intended to mean LOC (LLZ), there's an excellent chance of latching onto a false LLZ signal. In many countries, the AIP warns about this and those warnings are reflected in 3rd party supplied charts, such as those from Jeppesen.

A false GP is, normally, a different situation because the most usual cause is undeclared maintenance on the GP - read the story of the way it was encountered by an Air NZ crew a few years ago. Still, all bets are off if you try to intercept the LLZ beyond about 20-25 degrees.

Most educated crews will find another way to determine when they are within about 20 degrees of the actual LLZ course. If there's no Locator (i.e. NDB or, more usually, low powered NDB) or a suitably located VOR, a certified RNAV system should provide a good indication as to when you're within the real zone of the real Localiser course.

Crews are actually paid to use their intelligence because they know that, if they capture a localiser lobe, a serviceable GP signal could take them to the scene of the prang. Rules of thumb are good for avoiding the problem!
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