Dassault Falcon 900LX First To Fly Approaches Using EGNOS
The first approaches using Europe's new EGNOS (European
Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) satellite navigation
system were flown recently by a Dassault Falcon 900LX. EGNOS is
expected to vastly improve airport access for aviation throughout
Europe. The approaches were flown into Pau Pyrenees airport in
France (ICAO: LFBP) on a Falcon 900LX equipped with EASy II, the
next generation of Dassault's award-winning flight deck system.
Falcon 900LX File Photo
The EGNOS satellite navigation system consists of a set of
geostationary satellites and a network of ground reference
stations. It improves the accuracy and integrity of the U.S. GPS
satellite system to within one meter horizontally and two meters
vertically, allowing LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical
Guidance) approaches down to 250-foot minima. The EGNOS system will
offer pilots more direct enroute flight paths, greater runway
capability and reduced separation standards without increased risk.
It is one of four major Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS)
either already deployed or planned for the near future, including
WAAS, in use in the U.S., MSAS in Japan, and GAGAN in Indian.
Dassault's team flew seven approaches during the mission,
confirming the accuracy and precision of the new signal, which on
the runway was close to one foot. "LPV approaches open up
accessibility to airports with challenging weather and terrain,
while improving the accuracy of the approach," said Jean-Louis
Dumas, the Dassault test pilot who flew the mission. "The
mountainous terrain in southwest France where we flew repeated
approaches is a perfect example of how the new features in EASy II,
like synthetic vision, when combined with improved navigation tools
like EGNOS, drastically enhance a pilot's situational awareness and
safety margins."
"The availability of the EGNOS system is an important step for
the European aviation community that will improve accessibility and
safety, much like the WAAS system has done for the United States,"
said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "The
development of new features in EASy II, including the ability to
use the EGNOS system, puts a new and more effective suite of tools
at the disposal of Falcon pilots, improving their ability to fly
farther, safer and more efficiently."
LPV approach capability will be available to pilots of Falcon
900LX aircraft with the introduction of EASy II in the summer of
2011. To date, there are more than 2,300 such approaches in the
United States. Certification of EASy II is expected in June of this
year and will be available on the Falcon 900LX immediately and for
other 900 EASy aircraft as a retrofit. EASy II will be made
available for the 7X in the third quarter of 2012, and for Falcon
2000 EASy variants in the fourth quarter of 2012.