EGNOS gains ground at AERO Friedrichshafen 2011

With EGNOS only just certified for use in aviation, some potential users are still unaware of its benefits, but it became clear once again at the recent AERO Friedrichshafen trade show that once you've used EGNOS, you never want to go back.

AERO Friedrichshafen is one of the world's largest international trade fairs for general aviation. © Peter Gutierrez

Speaking in Friedrichshafen, Reinhard Blasi of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) said, "The pilots we've spoken to who have tried EGNOS are in no doubt about its usefulness. All they want to know is, 'when is my airport going to get it'."

The EGNOS Safety-of-Life service was made available on 2 March 2011, but airports still must have EGNOS-specific landing procedures for their runways and aircraft need to be equipped with EGNOS-enabled receivers. And, crucially, even more people need to know that EGNOS is there, and that they can use it.

Try it, you will like it

Sven Girsperger is a geologist and an avid flyer who has piloted small planes all around the world. "I want to know when we are going to have more airport landing approaches using EGNOS," he said, speaking to GSA representatives at Friedrichshafen. Girsperger says he has already tested EGNOS in flight using a handheld receiver. "The improvement in accuracy is enormous," he reports. "There is no practical difference between landing with EGNOS and landing with a conventional ILS procedure."

"We have spoken to many pilots just like Mr. Girsperger here at AERO," said Blasi. "It seems that once you try flying a plane using EGNOS you are convinced. Now, we just need to get more people to try it."

Another pilot, Uwe Nietsche, points out, "I regularly fly approaches with SBAS receivers and since the availability of EGNOS the precision is astounding. In fact, EGNOS regularly puts us down exactly on the centreline of the runway."

Garmin Ltd. is the world's leading maker of satellite navigation avionics, producing integrated cockpits, panel mount displays, multi-function displays, transponders, radar and advanced GNSS-related systems. Garmin Sales Associate Alastair Ingason says his company is ready for EGNOS. "The great thing about EGNOS is that is completely compatible with the equipment we are already producing," he confirms. "EGNOS is essentially the European equivalent of the WAAS augmentation system being used in America, and because our GNSS receivers have been WAAS-ready for several years now, they are also by definition EGNOS-ready. Pilot using our receivers will not notice any difference whether using an EGNOS signal or a WAAS signal."

Catching pilots´ attention

Günter Eigenbrodt pilots a helicopter for Notarzt DRF Luftrettung, flying critical emergency missions to rescue victims of accidents and natural catastrophes in the Alps. "We often face harsh conditions," he explains. 'When we fly into an avalanche zone, for example, landing can be a very difficult operation.

"As we approach the ground, the helicopter rotors can blow up huge amounts of snow, creating a 'white-out' situation where it is impossible to see anything." Pilots in these situations, says Eigenbrodt, have to rely on people on the ground to guide them in by sight, but in some cases even this is impossible and some missions have to be aborted.

EU-funded flight tests under the 'Hedge' project have already established that EGNOS can aid helicopters in the delivery of crucial medical services, especially under adverse weather conditions and in difficult terrain.

More will see the light

A key initiative now for EGNOS, says Blasi, is the EU-supported 'Accepta' project, a way for airports, airlines and operators to get co-funding for the development and publication of approach procedures using EGNOS. "We are now very keen to get the word out about this initiative," he says. "We think it can really help to accelerate the uptake of EGNOS in aviation."

More information:

• Accepta
• AERO