Hi Suzeman.
The reason the ILS is still not certified to CAT III standards and Lutons is and has been for three months now, is that MA awarded the contract to a different supplier, who, to put it in its simplest terms,
cocked-up the replacement programme!
As I understand it a sustained continuous operation of 350 hours whilst on 23R is required, and during which time the ILS system has to work 100% for 100% of the time.
This hasn't happened on two counts.
Operations on 23R have been less than normal due to the fact that the weather has dictated the use of 05L, both due to wind direction and where that's not been a factor due to the fact that the met conditions require a CAT III capable landing system.
While 05L ILS is radiating then you cannot radiate 23R at the same time. As soon as ops return to 05, and the 23R ILS is switched off, the hours return to zero and it starts all over again when next on 23 !
Combine that with the fact that when the ops are on 23R, the new ILS system keeps tripping itself up by failing and once it fails and then fixed, the 350 hours has to start building up again from zero.
Basically Manchester bought 2nd rate system, 2nd rate installation leading to crap results. Luton bought a first rate system and had the Best NATS instalation. If the installation had been conducted as it should have been and the system was as relaible as the one at Luton, then we would have had CAT III at the beginning of November! You get what you pay for.
Just hope that lessons have been learnt by the installers of the 23R system, as the same firm are due to replace 05L and 05R in due course, but only when 23R has acheived its CAT III status, so sometime before 2015 then ??
