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The ABCs of WAAS
Developed by the FAA to improve GPS accuracy, integrity, and availability, Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) links GPS satellites, ground reference stations and aircraft installed WAAS equipment together to overcome the deficiencies inherent with conventional GPS.
WAAS can be used to perform “Required Navigation Performance” (RNP), “Area Navigation” (RNAV) and can be utilized as an aircraft’s “Primary Means of Navigation.” As such, WAAS does not require additional / supplemental navigation equipment appropriate to the IFR route.
WAAS can significantly improve the operational capability and lower the operating cost of your aircraft through the use of more direct-to and curved RNAV routes while improving your mission success with precision “Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance” (LPV) approaches.
Cost Savings and Operational Benefits
WAAS aircraft can realize fuel and time savings associated with authorized direct routes outside of radar coverage and curved area navigation (RNAV) routes. High and low altitude RNAV routes can be highly optimized with curved lateral and seamless vertical paths because they are based on numerous Latitude / Longitude Waypoints.
In addition to WAAS GPS, conventional GPS, INS and DME/DME, are capable of providing area navigation. WAAS ground reference stations greatly improve WAAS GPS signal integrity and accuracy over conventional GPS making RAIM outages far less frequent. Flight Management Systems that integrate multiple sensors improve reliability even further.
RNAV en-route benefits include reduced mileage, reduction of conflicts between routes and the development of additional routes within the same airspace.
Equipment cost savings and improved dispatch reliability can be achieved by amending an aircraft’s Minimum Equipment List (MEL) to approve dispatch with fewer conventional navaids. WAAS aircraft do not require a DME, VOR or ADF as long as the destination and alternate airports have a RNAV (GPS) approach available.
Whereas conventional GPS equipped aircraft may only use airports with non-GPS approaches as alternates, WAAS aircraft enjoy greater flight planning flexibility because WAAS equipped aircraft can file RNAV (GPS) airports as alternates.
Improved airport access and mission success can be realized by leveraging LPV. LPV provides lateral and vertical guidance similar to that used for Category 1 ILS approaches. Aircraft flying LPV procedures enjoy decision heights as low as 200 feet with 1/2 mile visibility.
LPV operation is nearly identical to ILS. LPV lateral and vertical deviation sensitivity increases as the aircraft approaches the runway threshold and most installations utilize the same sensitivity and corresponding Flight Director and Autopilot commands as ILS.
LPV procedures are published on RNAV charts and provide the lowest RNAV approach minimums available today. Additionally satellite computed LPV approaches are not susceptible to the low-temperature limitations affecting FMS procedures using Baro-VNAV. However, on the rare occasion when conditions prevent shooting a LPV approach, LNAV or LNAV/VNAV minimums may be used as backup.
WAAS Benefits
- Improved operational flexibility and cost savings achieved through the use of direct and curved en-route flight
- Improved access to special use airspace, high traffic area airports and terrain challenged airports
- Lower capital and operating cost achieved by reducing and simplifying aircraft navigation equipment
- Improved mission success by utilizing LPV:
- Precision minimums as low as 200 ft.
- Excellent back-up when the ILS localizer and/or glideslope goes down
- Over 1,900 LPV approaches are operating today - 6,000 are expected by 2018
FAA Guidance Material
The following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circulars (AC) provide guidance for operators wishing to utilize WAAS for en-route and approach navigation.
- AC 90-100A: U.S. Terminal and En Route Area Navigation (RNAV) Operations
- AC 90-101: Approval Guidance for RNP Procedures with SAAAR
- AC 90-105: Approval Guidance for RNP Operations and Barometric Vertical Navigation in the U.S. National Airspace System
North America today – the World tomorrow
WAAS navigation and LPV approaches are an integral part of the United States “Satellite Based Augmentation System” (SBAS) and a cornerstone the FAA’s Future Air Navigation System (FANS). SBAS covers virtually the entire Western Hemisphere including Canada, the United States and Mexico.
International equivalents of SBAS including Europe’s EGNOS and Japan’s MSAS are in orbit while India and China are planning and developing their systems.
WAAS equipped aircraft will have the ability to operate internationally because SBAS, EGNOS, MSAS and future satellites signals share a common technical standard. Signal commonality enables aircraft equipped with Hawker Beechcraft installed WAAS equipment the ability to navigate worldwide within any satellite based navigation system.
Hawker Beechcraft WAAS equipped New Aircraft production and Aftermarket Upgrades
Hawker Beechcraft is working diligently with multiple avionics manufacturers to certify WAAS equipment for new aircraft production and aftermarket upgrades.
In 2009, Hawker Beechcraft integrated WAAS equipment into the Proline 21 equipped Hawker 125 series production line. In concert, Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) started performing aftermarket upgrades on the same types of in-service aircraft. Over the next few months, Hawker Beechcraft will execute a similar approach to upgrade production and in-service King Air, Premier and Beechjet/Hawker 400 series aircraft.
Our factory powered HBS service centers are currently scheduling WAAS aftermarket upgrades for the second quarter. These upgrades feature STC and superior TC Data WAAS installations. “TC Data” installations are superior to STC installations because they exactly match Hawker Beechcraft production standards, are documented in our technical publications and are supported by Hawker Beechcraft Hot Line and Field Service Representatives.
To take advantage of the fantastic cost and operational benefits that WAAS can deliver, do not hesitate to ask your HBS Sales Manager for an Upgrade Proposal TODAY.
Hawker Beechcraft Services
Increasing the value of your aircraft one upgrade at a time