As I understand it the ILS replacement programme went out to tender some months back.
Amongst the bidders were THALES and NATS(National Air Traffic Services), the latter supplying the Air Traffic Control service and Engineering support to MA for all their Navigational requirements and have done impeccably for the past 25 years.
The successful winner was THALES, possibly because of the airports present practice of go for the cheapest option if you can!
Thales cracked on with the removal of the old ILS on 23R during the early part of September.
Coincidentally Luton were also replacing their ILS system and had given the contract to NATS. (Not the cheapest perhaps but ----!) and this commenced some two weeks or so after the Manchester work started.
Lutons' ILS has been serviceable now for some two weeks and is well into the 350 hours of continuous, uninterupted, no fault, functionality testing which is required to enable it to be used to CAT 3 standard.
Poor poor Manchester, running at least three weeks behind schedule still mudling through with VOR / DME approaches, - using a VOR that is really an En-route piece of equipment and nothing to do with MA. Wouldn't it be grim if the en route chaps told MA that essential maintenance on the VOR was required and that it'd be off air for a week. All that would be left for inbound traffic would be vectors to a visual final on 23R or 23L, the lowest descent altitude being 1600'. If not visual by then it would be go around and ultimately divert. Hardly a world class scenario.
I believe that there is chance that the ILS on 23R may well be back next week, but who knows when CAT 3 will be available? (Hopefully after 350 hours of unbreakbale service, but I will not be holding my breath)!!
After that they've (THALES), have got two more to do - 05L and 05R - roc on.
Ah well, back to me sour grapes - oooo they are good
