JUSTIN WASTNAGE / KIRUNA
The Swedish civil aviation administration LFV is to expand its trial of airborne automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast (ADS-B) at the non-radar-equipped airport in Kiruna by equipping local scheduled carriers with the system.
Another 10 ADS-B transponders are set to be delivered by Danish systems specialist GP&C in early February to LFV air traffic management (ATM) officials in Kiruna, in arctic northern Sweden. LFV has already equipped two Piper PA-31s operated by regional operator Nordkalottflyg and a single Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia operated by mail carrier International Business Air.
The system will provide air traffic controllers at Kiruna airport with a radar-like display of the aircraft's postion. Kiruna's chief controller Kenneth Ericsson says the system will, at present, only be used for information, and pilots on all flights will still have to transmit location reports. Full approval is expected by the end of the year and full operational use should start by 2005.
LFV has successfully completed a small-scale ADS-B trial as part of the European Commission-funded North European ADS-B upgrade programme phase two (NUP II), which involved a Eurocopter EC120 Colibri and a Cessna 172. As well as the scheduled services, an additional EC120 and Piper PA-28 will be fitted with transponders and a further transponder will be static, located on the approach path to act as a test transponder when the system begins its safety validation phase.
The system passed its theoretical assessment by the LFV late last year and is now being studied by the administration's safety board before it is approved for operation. The safety board needs to corroborate a data accuracy rate of 10-8 before approving the AeroTech Telub software and system, according to LFV's ATM research and development project manager Owe Odin.
Source: Flight International
