Northern Air Cargo to Use WAAS to Fly More Efficient

Routes and Gain Greater Airport Access

Northern Air Cargo, an air freight carrier based in Anchorage,

Alaska, has been certified to begin flying with the Federal

Aviation Administration’s Wide Area Augmentation System

(WAAS). Using the extremely accurate navigation service

provided by WAAS, Northern Air Cargo can now take

advantage of WAAS localizer performance with vertical (LPV)

approach procedures, utilize low and high altitude routes

throughout Alaska that require WAAS equipage, and take advantage of other WAASenabled benefits. Northern Air Cargo is the first Boeing 737-200 in the U.S. to apply for

and acquire supplemental type certification to fly with full WAAS capability. Northern

Air Cargo worked closely with ARC Avionics of Miami, Florida to upgrade their

Universal Avionics UNS-1F to the WAAS UNS 1-Fw that led to the approval of the

Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). This installation of WAAS on a Northern Air

Cargo B 737-200 is a much anticipated milestone for Northern Air Cargo, but it is also

a major benefit to other B 737-200\300 operators interested in WAAS. With the

completion and approval of this installation by Northern Air Cargo, the same process

for other operators will now be much abbreviated. As a result of this initiative being

taken by Northern Air Cargo, the potential for this becoming a catalyst for WAAS

installation in hundreds of similar Boeing 737 airframes is a distinct possibility.

Benefits of WAAS Equipage

Northern Air Cargo will now be able to take advantage of the benefits of WAAS

Localizer Performance with Vertical (LPV) approach procedures. WAAS LPVs improve

access to airports by

supporting approach

minimums as low as 200

feet without the need for

any navigation equipment

at the airport – a

capability especially

beneficial at runway ends

without an Instrument

Landing System (ILS). In

Alaska, there are

currently 40 WAAS LPVs

to 23 different locations.

Many of these locations

are very remote with no

ILS, and some with gravel runways. With WAAS, Northern Air Cargo will have better

access to these airports, gaining the ability to land in conditions that were before

prohibitive. Nationwide, there are over 1,500 WAAS LPVs already in place and the

FAA has committed to publish WAAS approach procedures to all qualifying runway

ends, estimated to be about 6,000, by 2018.

In this issue:

Northern Air Cargo to Use WAAS

to Fly More Efficient Routes and

Gain Greater Airport Access.........1

WAAS Performance Continues to

Improve with Latest Set of

Upgrades.....................................2

Worldwide SBAS Coverage is

Growing.......................................5

8th International GBAS Working

Group Hosted in Palermo.............5

WAAS Designed for Continuous

Enhancements.............................6

What’s on the Web......................7

LPV Watch: LPVs Continue to

Grow...........................................7

GNSS in the News......................7

In Future Editions........................8

The SATNAV News is produced by the

Navigation Services Office (AJW-4) branch

of the Federal Aviation Administration Air

Traffic Organization (ATO). This newsletter

provides information on the Wide Area

Augmentation System (WAAS) and the

Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS),

and initiatives associated with the

implementation of satellite navigation into

the National Airspace System (NAS).

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20591

http://gps.faa.gov
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Additionally, Northern Air Cargo will now be able to fly “T”

and “Q” routes. In Alaska, WAAS is required to fly T routes

(enroute FL180 and below) and GNSS is required to fly Q

routes (above FL180). T and Q routes are beneficial

because they provide more direct routing as opposed to

the less direct victor and jet routes which are predicated on

the ground-based locations of Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Ranging (VOR) navigation systems. T routes

are beneficial because they will permit aircraft to fly lower

minimum enroute altitudes (MEAs) than victor routes,

increasing safety through aircraft’s ability to fly below icing

levels.

This NAC upgrade to WAAS capability will also mitigate the

requirement for departure, terminal, and en route Receiver

Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) checks that will go

into effect this summer in accordance with requirements in

AC 90-100A. These RAIM checks will not be required for

WAAS-equipped aircraft as long as the WAAS signal is

available to the aircraft since the WAAS signal includes

built-in integrity.

Next Steps

Now that the first installation is in place for a commercial

transport category operator, Northern Air Cargo will work

closely with the FAA to begin

flight evaluation of proposed

data collection routes.

These activities will support

the collection and reporting

of the operational benefits

that can be derived from

WAAS-equipped air carrier

aircraft operating in the NAS

environment. This data will assist the FAA in the technical

evaluation of WAAS utilization (especially in Alaska) to

include the assessment of environmental benefits,

economic savings, and cost avoidance related to such

flight operations as would be normally flown by an air

carrier. This economic information will be shared with the

JPDO and NextGen organizations as part of the evaluation

of these NextGen capabilities. This data will be collected

as part of Northern Air Cargo’s normal revenue flight

operations to airports within their system. Northern Air

Cargo has already started collecting operational data prior

to WAAS equipage to help to establish a baseline for

comparison purposes. In addition to operational benefits

accrued by the air carrier, other benefits are expected to be

validated, such as environmental benefits resulting from

more direct routes and less fuel burn. While benefit

analyses have been projected, the FAA WAAS program

seeks to measure actual benefits and evaluate operational

issues in order to support more effective use of WAAS in

meeting FAA and NextGen goals and objectives.

More on Northern Air Cargo

Northern Air Cargo has been providing service

to Alaska for over 50 years. They connect

Anchorage with destinations throughout

Alaska and beyond with scheduled, charter,

and flag stop service - carrying up to 30,000

pounds per trip.

For more information on Northern Air Cargo, please visit:

http://www.northernaircargo.com/about/fleet.php.

More on WAAS

The Wide Area Augmentation System was originally

commissioned in July 2003 and provides service to the

continental United States, Alaska, Canada and Mexico.

WAAS can provide vertical guidance down to as low as 200

feet height above touchdown (HAT).

For more information on WAAS, please visit:

http://gps.faa.gov.

 - Mary Ann Davis, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

WAAS Performance Continues to Improve with Latest Set of Upgrades

In October 2008, the WAAS completed a series of upgrades, in part to improve the availability of the LPV service. These

upgrades began in 2004 and included the addition of reference stations in Alaska, the establishment of international

reference stations in Canada and Mexico, and the improvement of operational WAAS algorithms to increase the

availability and reliability of the WAAS navigation service. Other changes were made during this timeframe that improved

the operation and maintenance of the WAAS.

This series of upgrades coincided with the rise in the number of WAAS LPV approaches. As of May 2009, the FAA has

published over 1,500 LPV approach procedures, and over 100 of these LPV procedures have a decision height as low as

200 feet. The upgrades to the WAAS and the rapid increase in the number of LPV approach procedures together have

been integral to the FAA strategy to increase the usage of WAAS for aviation.

This article shows the resultant WAAS performance after the series of upgrades. Specifically, the WAAS coverage for

different service levels is shown. The service levels are based on horizontal and vertical alert limits (HAL and VAL).

Though these service levels do not correlate directly to an approach procedure, the service levels define performance

levels for WAAS.
WAAS receivers, as specified in RTCA DO-229, calculate horizontal and vertical protection levels (HPL and VPL). HPL

and VPL are calculated once per second. As long as the HPL is less than the HAL and the VPL is less than the VAL, then

a particular service level is available. LPV service is available when the HPL is less than 40 meters and the VPL is less

than 50 meters. LPV-200 service is available when the HPL is less than 40 meters and the VPL is less than 35 meters.

Figure 1 shows the Continental U.S. (CONUS) LPV service from October to December 2008. In this figure (and the other

figures in this article) availability is determined by calculating the HPL and VPL each second. When the HPL and VPL

both meet the criteria of a particular service level, then the service is available. The statistics based on this HPL/HAL and

VPL/VAL calculation determines the service availability over the timeframe. For comparison, the coverage in CONUS

from July to September 2008 is shown in Figure 2. The main difference in the coverage of these two figures is that in

Figure 2 there are no locations in CONUS that had WAAS available 100% of the time.

Figure 3 shows the LPV-200 coverage from October to December 2008 and Figure 4 shows the LPV-200 coverage from

July to September 2008. Because of the latest WAAS upgrades the WAAS LPV-200 coverage is better in the October to

December figure.

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Figure 1 - CONUS WAAS Coverage

(October - December 2008)

Figure 2 - CONUS WAAS Coverage

(July - September 2008)

Figure 3 - CONUS WAAS LPV-200 Coverage

(October - December 2008)

Figure 4 - CONUS WAAS LPV-200 Coverage

(July - September 2008)
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Figure 5 - Alaska WAAS LPV Coverage

(October - December 2008)

Figure 6 - Alaska WAAS LPV Coverage

(July - September 2008)

Figure 7 - Alaska WAAS LPV-200 Coverage

(October - December 2008)

Figure 8 - Alaska WAAS LPV-200 Coverage

(July - September 2008)

Figures 5 and 6 show the Alaska LPV coverage during October to December 2008 and July to September 2008,

respectively.

The latest upgrade to WAAS improved LPV and LPV-200 service in Alaska. The upgrade in LPV-200 service in Alaska

can be seen in Figures 7 and 8.

The performance shown in the October to December figures will be the typical performance of WAAS for the next several

years.

The next major upgrade to WAAS will be when the GPS constellation is upgraded to include a second civilian frequency.

When that WAAS upgrade occurs, the FAA anticipates near 100% LPV-200 availability for users that utilize both civilian

frequencies.

 - Bill Wanner, FAA ATO-P/AJP-7A1
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Worldwide SBAS Coverage is

Growing

The availability of Satellite Based Augmentation System

(SBAS) coverage throughout the world continues to grow.

To date, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System

(EGNOS), and Multi-function Transport Satellite (MTSAT)

Satellite-based Augmentation System (MSAS) are all up

and running. The service areas of these three systems

cover a significant part of the world and additional systems

are under development. Collectively, these SBASs support

RNP 0.3 operations in broad areas of the world.

 - Mary Ann Davis, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

8th International GBAS Working Group

Hosted in Palermo

The 8th International Ground

Based Augmentation System

(GBAS) Working Group was

hosted by Ente Nazionale di

Assistenza al Volo (ENAV),

Italy’s Air Navigation Service

Provider on March 3-6, 2009.

The goal of the International

GBAS Working Group (IGWG) is to provide a forum for the

exchange of technical and operational topics and

coordination of research and implementation activities that

will help accelerate the implementation of GBAS capability

worldwide. The meeting was chaired by the FAA GBAS

Program Office and Eurocontrol.

Over 55 participants, representing international service

providers, industry, airlines and aircraft manufacturers,

attended the meeting and working sessions. Participants

included:

• FAA, Eurocontrol, DECEA/Brazil, DGAC/Chile,

JCAB/Japan, Korea, DFS/ Germany, AENA/Spain,

DSNA/France, AsA/Australia, and NAV/Portugal

• Boeing, Airbus, JAL, ANA, and Continental Airlines

• Honeywell, Thales, ENRI/Japan, KARI/Korea,

NEC/Japan, SELEX/US, Indra/Spain, and NPPF

Spectr/Russia

The meeting was opened by the Director General of ENAV,

Mr. Nadio Di Rienzo, who stressed the importance of

satellite navigation. He also emphasized the need to

reduce lead times from definition to implementation,

increasing the ability to achieve a cost effective transition,

especially in the present financial critical situation for

airlines and service providers. He noted that ENAV has

invested in satellite research and development activities

and will continue as demonstrated by the GBAS prototype

project at Palermo airport.

The national updates and briefings clearly indicated

increased activities and focus on implementation of GBAS

CAT I; but, there was also significant activity on planning

for GBAS CAT II/III due to SESAR ATM master plan

activities. The Single European Sky ATM Research

Programme (SESAR) ATM research and development

(R&D) program in Europe has a budget of 2.1 B Euros of

which the GBAS funding is approximately 63 M Euros. The

R&D program consists of several work packages that

include GBAS embedded under “Airport Operations”,

“Aircraft”, and “GND CNS”. The GBAS packages focus on

GBAS CAT III development and validation.

EUROCONTOL expects initiation of the projects by

summer 2009.

The effect of the SESAR ATM master plan activities was

visible in both increased and new attendance of industry

and service providers at this IGWG. New plans for GBAS

development and implementation were presented by NAV

of Portugal, SELEX of the U.S. and Indra of Spain. The

U.S., Spain, Germany, Australia, and Russia are leading

GBAS implementation activities. Germany and Australia

have already granted approval for the use of GBAS for

airlines under revenue operations. This approval will have

a VFR operational restriction until certification is received.

In the U.S., the biggest GBAS implementation project is the

Newark project, a cooperative effort between the FAA, the

New York and New Jersey Port Authority, and Continental

Airlines. In Russia, a Russian-built (NPPF SPECTR) GPS

and GLONASS based version of GBAS is operational at

several locations. EUROCONTROL and NPPF SPECTR

are performing interoperability research on these Russian

systems in coordination with the German DFS and the

University of Braunschweig. Many of the other service

providers have ongoing GBAS validation projects with

near-term to mid-term implementation plans. For example,

the Chilean DGAC is engaged in an ongoing study for

GBAS implementation at Santiago and other suitable

airports.
6

Airbus and Boeing continue their support for GBAS and

provided an outline on their plans for fleet equipage. All

new Airbus aircraft will eventually include the option for

GBAS capability. Today, 62 percent of all current A 380

aircraft ordered are requested with the GBAS option, also

referred to as GLS-equipped. For Boeing, the Boeing 737-

800, Boeing 787, and Boeing 747-8 will all be GLScapable. (GLS will be standard on B787 and the B747-8

aircraft.)

Both Airbus’ and Boeing’s concept of airborne

implementation is GNSS RNAV/RNP to a GLS final.

Boeing demonstrated this procedure by presenting the

results of a joint Alaskan Airlines, Qantas, and Boeing flight

demonstration in Juneau. This included a combination of

RNP to a short GBAS final with autoland (demonstration

only). Airbus is also in the process of implementing a

similar capability through a fully automated process (FMS

selection, automatic capture, and transition to GLS).

Avionics and ground station manufacturers provided

updates on the status of their system developments. At this

time, the Honeywell system is the only one being certified

by the FAA. Thales is working directly with their individual

customers on system certification. NPPF SPECTR

achieved certification in Russia.

The technical working sessions held as a part of this

meeting included detailed discussions on a number of

related activities. These discussions provided a good

forum for information and data exchange and the

participation in cooperative projects vital to the international

implementation of GBAS.

The meeting exceeded the co-chairing organizations

expectations and all participants were extremely satisfied

with the outcome of the working group meeting. This

working group addresses relevant issues for the

development and implementation of GBAS, and exchanges

data and information, which can effectively be used by the

participants in formulating their business strategies and

implementation plans.

The next working group meeting is planned for

October 2009 in the U.S.

Coordination support for the conference,

including design of the 8th IGWG logo, was

provided by ENAV’s contractor, Ingegneria

Dei Sistemi (IDS).

For more information on LAAS, please visit:

http://gps.faa.gov.

 - Dieter Guenter, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

WAAS Designed for Continuous

Enhancements

The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is

composed of four distinct phases, each bringing its own set

of enhancements which will maintain the viability of WAAS

well into the future. Perhaps the most notable of these

phases is Phase 1, or Initial Operational Capability (IOC),

which was reached in July 2003 as WAAS was

commissioned into the National Airspace System (NAS).

However, there are three more phases for WAAS, each

bringing a round of enhancements to further extend the

popular navigation system’s capabilities.

Here is a summary of the phases:

Phase 1 - Initial Operational Capability (IOC)

Phase 2 - Full Localizer Performance with Vertical

Guidance [LPV] Performance (FLP)

Phase 3 - Full LPV-200 Performance (WAAS is currently

within Phase 3)

Phase 4 - Dual Frequency Operations

Phase 2 - Full Localizer Performance with Vertical

Guidance [LPV] Performance (FLP)

After WAAS commissioning, the FAA embarked upon

increasing system availability, coverage, and performance.

Through a series of meticulously-planned and tightlyexecuted operational upgrades, the WAAS team increased

availability and performance of service throughout the NAS

even while the WAAS was operational for users. Upgrades

included increased performance to support LPV

procedures to lower minimums, additional wide-area

reference stations (WRSs) in Alaska for improved WAAS

performance over Alaska’s airspace, additional WRSs in

Mexico and Canada to increase WAAS coverage across

the NAS and across North America, WAAS software

algorithmic improvements for increased performance and

system robustness, and the addition of two well-placed,

high-power WAAS navigation payloads (onboard

commercial geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites) to

replace the original navigation payloads. The FLP Phase

series of upgrades was completed and FLP was achieved

in 2008.

Phase 3 - Full LPV-200 Performance

Subsequent to the achievement of FLP, the WAAS team

started the development of Phase 3. In Phase 3, WAAS

upgrades will be incrementally added to expand LPV-200

coverage and availability, increase WAAS performance

during the upcoming Solar Max period (2011 - 2014),

ensure WAAS availability and coverage via the addition of

a third WAAS navigation payload, and provide technical

refresh of system components. A further major
7

component of Phase 3 is to transition system maintenance

capabilities from the WAAS prime contractor to the FAA’s

Safety Operations Support group (SOS) at the Mike

Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City,

Oklahoma.

Phase 3 started in October 2008 and will be complete in

2014. The first Phase 3 upgrade will occur in November

2009 and will include software changes for increased

operational availability and the technical refresh of near

obsolete processing hardware. The second upgrade will

occur in the winter of 2010 and will add a short-term ‘Gap

Filler’ GEO, software improvements, and WAAS

telecommunications network infrastructure upgrades. The

Gap Filler GEO will allow WAAS to meet operational

availability requirements using a temporary navigation

transponder solution. An additional upgrade is planned for

Fall 2011. This upgrade will include WAAS algorithm

improvements to increase WAAS availability and

performance during the peak of the solar cycle.

Phase 4 - Dual Frequency Operations

WAAS Phase 4, Dual Frequency Operations, will begin in

2014. Phase 4 will focus on two major areas: 1) the

introduction of dual-frequency operation into the WAAS and

2) WAAS lifecycle maintenance. During Phase 4 the

WAAS team plans modifications to the WAAS to take

advantage of planned improvements in the GPS program –

specifically the introduction of the second civilian aviation

signal (L5). With L1 and L5 broadcast by the GPS

constellation, dual-frequency users (both L1 and L5) can

compute ionospheric corrections directly, allowing for

increased accuracy and performance. WAAS

modifications will include the integrity monitoring of L5

signals for broadcast to dual-frequency users. These

modifications will not affect legacy single-frequency

(current) users. Dual-frequency WAAS development will

begin in 2014 and will continue with WAAS system

enhancements that will be ready to take advantage of the

L5 GPS constellation. A usable L5 GPS constellation is

currently scheduled to be available in 2018. WAAS lifecycle maintenance will be an important component of this

phase, including the replenishment of WAAS GEO assets.

Phase 4 will continue until at least 2028, the earliest

planned retirement of the WAAS.

 - Ed Sigler, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

What’s on the Web

In our efforts to bring the aviation community the best and

most accurate information, the GNSS website content is

regularly updated. Here are some highlights of our site that

are already a mainstay for those in need of this knowledge.

GPS/WAAS Approaches Page - Every 56 days, new

procedures are published for use in the National Airspace

System (NAS) through the Terminal Procedures Publication

(TPP) process. Additionally, procedures can also be

published during the interim months through the

Operations Change Notice (OCN) process. Data on this

page is derived from National Aeronautical Charting Office

(NACO) Flight Information Publications. This page gives

the most current list of available localizer performance with

vertical guidance (LPV) approaches, as well as related data

about each published LPV, to include airport identifier and

airport census information and a graphic of the current

LPVs in the U.S. The page also includes a helpful link to

the FAA’s Instrument Flight Procedures (IFP) Production

Plan web page which contains information on projected IFP

production by region or fiscal year and links to how to apply

for an IFP at your airport.

Library Page - We have a number of briefings, fact sheets,

and other documents with information to keep our readers

in the know on the GNSS and all its aviation applications.

In each edition of the SATNAV News, we will highlight

different information that can be found on our website. In

the coming months, stay logged in for new and exciting

additions and upgrades to our website.

 - Gretchen Adragna, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

LPV Watch: LPVs Continue to Grow

The number of WAAS LPVs continues to rapidly increase.

A listing of current airports and runways

served by LPVs can be found on our

website. To access this information,

go to http://gps.faa.gov and select the GPS/ WAAS

Approaches button from bottom of the front page.

 - Mary Ann Davis, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

GNSS in the News

Below are a few select articles that have appeared in the

news since the last publication of SATNAV News. Some of

these same links can also be found on the WAAS News

page of our website.
8

GPS with Vertical Guidance, FAA Aviation News, March/

April 2009, http://www.faa.gov/news/aviation_news/2009/

media/marapr2009.pdf (p.10)

L5 GPS Signal Now Being Transmitted from IIR(M)-20

Satellite, GPS World, April 10, 2009

http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/Latest%20News/L5-GPSSignal-Now-Being-Transmitted-from-IIRM-20-S/

ArticleStandard/Article/detail/

592964?contextCategoryId=1385

Airbus is Planning to Install SBAS Capability on its

A350 XWB Aircraft, AIN Online, March 1, 2009

http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/

airbus-to-install-sbas-in-a350xwb/?no_cache=1

NetJets Is Next to Sign on to NextGen, FAA Focus,

December 10, 2008, https://employees.faa.gov/news/

focusfaa/story/?newsId=57558

 - Mary Ann Davis, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

In Future Editions

Future issues of SATNAV News will be expanded to

become “Navigation News”. The Navigation News will

include articles on legacy ground-based navigation aids

(GBNA) and lighting systems, as well as on satellite

navigation topics. Although satellite navigation plays an

important role in the transition to NextGen; it is a collective

mix of our existing legacy navigation technologies, as well

as the supporting lighting systems, that will provide the

bridge to the future. Satellite navigation, GBNA transition

planning and sustainment, and lighting technology

improvements will collectively provide the path to and

foundation for the future navigation services planned for

the NextGen system.

We hope to provide our readers with the latest information

on these initiatives to support decisions they will make as

they transition from the use of legacy navigation systems to

the navigation system architecture of the future.

 - Mary Ann Davis, FAA AJW-43/GPS TAC

FAA SATNAV News will soon become the FAA Navigation News!

”Covering the Navigation Transformation from Now to NextGen.”

Look for the change in our next edition!