[G-BLEW]

Following my remark about the UK being dragged into the 21st century with PCL at licensed airfields, it seems that we now have some UK LPV approaches too. That said, while the approach may be 21st century, we seem to have managed to hang on to a bit of 20th century technology.

Read the story here

Ian

[riverrock]

Good news. It only took Exeter- what - 3 years to get this far?
Hopefully once a few are setup, they will all be easier. You can get an impression of the amount of paper work that must be required from the published decision letter on Bristol RNAV STARs (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/20140818Br ... Letter.pdf ) which were essentially overlaid on the current STARs. Painful.

[Josh]

What is with the retarded requirement for an NDB in the missed approach? Or is that simply because it saved a few grand on charting a new missed approach (and the required IR student torture)?

[wigglyamp]

What about the ones being flown into Alderney by Aurigny Trislanders and Professional Air Training Duchesses since 2011?
http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/201 ... l-islands/

Gama certified the aircraft installations under the first EASA STCs and I was on board as the flight test observer with the CAA test pilot on both aircraft for the first certified approaches.

[Rich T]

WA, I think that the Channel Islands are not technically a part of the UK.

[johnm]

WA, I think that the Channel Islands are not technically a part of the UK.

Correct and surely the NDB can be considered a GPS waypoint? I guess someone will say if all else fails you can fly an NDB procedure

[johnm]

What about the ones being flown into Alderney by Aurigny Trislanders and Professional Air Training Duchesses since 2011?
http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/201 ... l-islands/

Gama certified the aircraft installations under the first EASA STCs and I was on board as the flight test observer with the CAA test pilot on both aircraft for the first certified approaches.

Pity about the aspens and the loudspeakers in the front baggage compartment

Our Trinidad was happily flying this while Trislanders were still being upgraded

[Paul_Sengupta]

I think part of the reasoning for an NDB in the missed is that if someone switches on a GPS jammer or the signal otherwise disappears, you can still go missed at/in the correct place.

[Josh]

Plenty of VOR/NDB approaches with the whole procedure based on a single beacon. Double standards...

[Paul_Sengupta]

No one's running jamming trials for VORs or NDBs!

[jasoncuk]

Of course there have been so many safety issues with solely GPS approaches in the US....Oh hang on there haven't been. Not an NDB to be seen. Paul, come on that is a silly argument - NDBs do nothing to enhance GPS approaches.

[Keef]

Stop jamming the pesky GPS. You know by now if your toys work or not, so ship them out to wherever it is and let's get rid of NDBs in the UK.

If the soldiers want to play "nav with GPS inop", just turn 'em off.

[TLRippon]

The biggest problem for many of us will be getting the certified IFR fit on the aircraft up to the required standard to be certified for LPV. My aircraft is BRNAV certified but to be LPV certified I am going to need to find a company who can not only install the required annunciator panel but also have the ability to certify the 430W in my aircraft to fly the approach. Gamma can't.

[Flyin'Dutch']

The insistence on using an NDB in what is otherwise a GPS approach is not a laughing matter but simply infuriating and totally incongruous with the changed attitudes at the Belgrano towards a host of issues.

Does anyone know what the rationale is? Beyond what Paul suggests I cannot think of any.

[masterofnone]

People always talk about jamming as if its only a concept that applies to GPS systems. I don't know what it is about NDB's and VOR's that people think are invulnerable to malicious interference. Given sufficient intent, they are equally susceptible to interference and failure. Look at NDB's...you don't even have to maliciously interfere with them, they fail quite happily all by themselves under all manner of conditions, even they are in perfect working order. If you wanted an absolute solid backup, you might as well be mandate all aircraft using the approach carry a set of divining sticks instead of an ADF.

Does anyone know what the rationale is? Beyond what Paul suggests I cannot think of any.

Perhaps it's Victorian doctor syndrome. You can barely bring yourself to prescribe patients any of those "new" fangled antibiotics, when all you really want to do is send them off with a good course of leeches