Euro-WAAS

[Fast n' Furious]

Saw this bit of news this morning. Looks like the Europeans are proceeding directly to WAAS. Kind of interesting as there has been very little space based approach interest in Europe with all the focus being the enroute structure. Anyway, if you are interested in this stuff.....couldn't get the link to go so here it is...

First European satellite navigation service passes flight tests

[Date: 2007-04-24]
European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the first European satellite navigation service, has passed a series of international air traffic flight trials.

During the tests, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) test plane made a number of approaches and landings using the new procedures, in each case aligning itself with the runway's axis and then following a descent path to touchdown.

The quality of the EGNOS signals was tested by comparing the landing phases guided by satellite with landings using traditional means such as the Instrument Landing System (ILS).

The results of the trials show that EGNOS signals allow approaches and landings that meet the safety standards that govern international air traffic.

Currently in pre-operational service, EGNOS will be certified in 2008 for safety-of-life applications such as air traffic control.

EGNOS will provide a precision of better than two metres, compared to 15 to 20 metres for the Global Positioning System (GPS) alone. In addition, there is a guarantee as to the quality of the signals. If a problem is detected, an alarm will be sent to the pilot.

Systems that are equivalent to EGNOS have been set up in the United States, Japan and India, and these systems are compatible and interoperable. So, an aircraft with a suitable receiver could operate in any of these countries as it would always have satellite navigation support available without changing equipment.

The long term plan for European civil aviation authorities is to combine all the existing navigation systems so as to ensure greater assistance for pilots and the best possible air traffic safety in Europe and the world.

EGNOS is a joint venture of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission (EC) and Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

It is Europe's contribution to the first stage of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and a precursor to Galileo, the full global satellite navigation system currently under development in Europe.

 

[bbchien]

Of course. No surface infrastructure to maintain. Users are responsible for the databases.

All that is missing are user fees for to fund the satelites!

Seriously, down to 250 agl at mineral wells, Tx is quite impressive on the 430W...

 

[gprellwitz]

Systems that are equivalent to EGNOS have been set up in the United States, Japan and India, and these systems are compatible and interoperable. So, an aircraft with a suitable receiver could operate in any of these countries as it would always have satellite navigation support available without changing equipment.

That's the important part, IMHO. It means that the market for the receivers isn't limited to a single area, so the development cost can be spread around more potential buyers.

 

[Fast n' Furious]

They say equivalent but they don't say compatable and that's a huge part of the issue. The Euros haven't jumped on NAVSTAR largely because they cannot control it's availability (or should I say non-availability) as long as it's controlled by our military. Can you really blame them? It's going to be interesting to watch the the members of ICAO (which the U.S. is part of but largely only when it suits us) come to an agreement of satnav format and more importantly survey format such as WGS and NAD. I was amazed to learn that there are nearly 200 conventions in use today to locate something on a map. Gotta wonder if there will ever really be an ICAO standard that benefits everyone equally.

 

[gprellwitz]

Systems that are equivalent to EGNOS have been set up in the United States, Japan and India, and these systems are compatible and interoperable. So, an aircraft with a suitable receiver could operate in any of these countries as it would always have satellite navigation support available without changing equipment.

emphasis mine.

They say equivalent but they don't say compatable and that's a huge part of the issue. The Euros haven't jumped on NAVSTAR largely because they cannot control it's availability (or should I say non-availability) as long as it's controlled by our military. Can you really blame them? It's going to be interesting to watch the the members of ICAO (which the U.S. is part of but largely only when it suits us) come to an agreement of satnav format and more importantly survey format such as WGS and NAD. I was amazed to learn that there are nearly 200 conventions in use today to locate something on a map. Gotta wonder if there will ever really be an ICAO standard that benefits everyone equally.

The article says compatible, but it could certainly be wrong! No, reporters would never get something like that wrong, would they?

 

[Fast n' Furious]

It's very possible that the Japanese and the Indians use our system but they are not heavily invested in RNAV to the point where they want the control that the Euros need. I always wondered why Europe was so adament against RNAV (GPS) for other than enroute. This article and the course I attended last month really clears it up. They want their own system (Galileo) in place and the rest will follow.