Australia's Critical Air Navigation Equipment Checked For Safety

MEDIA RELEASE

Australia's Critical Air Navigation Equipment Checked for Safety

Airservices Flight Inspection Service (FIS) will check the functional accuracy of critical air navigation equipment around the country this June to ensure the safe operation of aircraft.

The maintenance of this equipment is critical for many regional and remote communities where air traffic is a lifeline.

The Brisbane-based service checks the 500 plus navigational aids installed and maintained by Airservices for flight safety at regional and major airports, aerodromes and airstrips on a three-year rotational basis.

The service will undertake 42 separate routine or special flight inspections on equipment at:

*QLD Brisbane, Cairns, Mackay, Maroochydore, Jacobs Well
*NSW Sydney, Cowra
*TAS Hobart, Launceston, Nile, Tea Tree
*VIC Mangalore, Rockdale, Avalon, Moorabbin
*NT Tennant Creek, Christmas Island.

Equipment being tested includes instrument landing systems (ILS), distance measuring equipment (DME), non-directional beacons (NDB) and wide area multilateration (WAM) navigation aids plus surveillance radars.

Positional and navigational information is relayed from these aids to aircraft and assists pilots in landing safely.

The inspections will be performed by specialist air crew who operate the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air aircraft and equipment to collect precision data while airborne.

The data gathered is later assessed and analysed by Airservices maintenance and engineering staff to ensure that each navigation aid is operating accurately.

For media enquiries or an image of the King Air and its equipment call
02 6257 2828 or
email: [email protected]

Airservices Australia is a Government owned organisation responsible for the safe and efficient management of air traffic across 11 per cent of the world's air space. Services include air traffic control, airspace management, aeronautical information, radar communications, radio navigation aids, aviation maintenance and engineering, environmental management and aviation rescue and firefighting.

SOURCE: Airservices