Management Changes within FAA 

SATNAV Programs 

by Mary Ann Davis FAA GPS TAC

Dan Hanlon, who served as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) program manager for the last several years has moved on to support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in an international position in Singapore. During his time as the WAAS 

program manager, Dan managed activities leading to WAAS commissioning, directed 

follow-on efforts for WAAS system enhancements, and worked closely with the operational 

community to help accelerate the realization of WAAS benefits to users. Dan’s achievements 

and leadership during his tenure established an indelible legacy that set the standard for 

outstanding performance. Dan’s last day as program manager on the WAAS program was 

January 27, 2006. His departure triggers a series of management shifts within the FAA 

satellite navigation programs. 

 Most significant of these shifts is the regrouping of the FAA’s satellite navigation programs under one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) program office. Under this 

new GNSS program office, there will be three groups: Global Positioning System (GPS); 

Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) — which includes the WAAS project; and 

the Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) — which includes the Local Area 

Augmentation System (LAAS) project. 

 (continued page 2) 

In this issue:

Management Changes within 

FAA SATNAV Programs.......1 

LAAS Integrity Work 

Progressing Toward 

Operational Trials.................2 

Flying an LPV Approach.......3 

Enhanced WAAS Satellite 

Coverage in 2006..................4 

International WAAS Reference 

Station Update.......................5 

New Survey Criteria Speeds 

Process to LPV......................5 

WAAS Government-Industry 

Partnership Announced.......6 

The SATNAV News SATNAV News SATNAV News SATNAV NewsSATNAV News is produced by the Navigation 

Services (ATO-W) branch of the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA). 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). 

New, Lower LPV Minimums Announced

In a major step that expands the benefits of satellite navigation for aviation users, the Federal Aviation Administration 

has announced lower Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach minima through the use of the 

Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). WAAS is now approved to provide guidance down to 200 feet above an 

airport’s surface for these vertically-guided instrument approaches. 

For more information on this announcement, please visit our website at http://gps.faa.gov. 
2 

Leo Eldredge has moved into the role of GNSS Program Manager. Leo has been an integral part of FAA satellite navigation projects since joining the FAA in 1995. Until recently, 

Leo has served as the FAA’s Ground Based Augmentation 

System (GBAS) manager where he was responsible for all 

program planning and execution for the FAA’s LAAS 

program. From 1993 to 2003, he served in various positions 

on the WAAS program until he ended his tenure there as the 

Engineering Manager and Leader for the WAAS Integrity & 

Performance Panel (WIPP). The WIPP was the tiger team 

tasked to resolve technical issues linked to compliance with 

system safety and integrity requirements. Before joining the 

FAA in 1993, Leo served 20 years with the United States Air 

Force. His extensive aviation and satellite navigation experience, technical knowledge, and management skills will serve 

him well in this new role as GNSS Program Manager. 

LAAS Integrity Work 

Progressing Toward 

Operational Trials 

by Dieter Guenter, FAA GPS TAC

While the Local Area Augementation System (LAAS) remains 

a research & development (R&D) project, the FAA continues 

to make progress by working the integrity risks with Honeywell 

and the LAAS Integrity Panel (LIP). By September 2006, the 

FAA’s Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) group 

expects to complete the integrity analysis and implement an 

approved set of integrity monitoring algorithms in a LAAS 

prototype at Memphis, Tennessee. Flight testing using both 

FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center and FEDEX aircraft 

will validate technical and operational performance of this 

prototype facility. The next step will be to upgrade the 

Memphis prototype facility to host all functions required to 

demonstrate compliance with Category-I Standards and 

Recommended Practices (SARPs) requirements. In order to 

do this, the processing architecture will be upgraded and a 

complete set of prototype software functions integrated at 

Memphis and a new facility installed at the William J. Hughes 

Technical Center in New Jersey by December 2007. The FAA 

is also coordinating with other service providers interested to 

fund development, test, and regulatory approval activities. 

In February, the FAA and Airservices Australia signed a 

memorandum of cooperation as a first step toward establishing 

an international cooperative development effort to obtain 

approval for the Honeywell Inc. Category-I LAAS. If funding 

is approved, Airservices would complete the development of 

the Honeywell LAAS, including the LIP-approved integrity 

algorithms, for their system in Sydney. FAA would install the 

certifiable software at Memphis and proceed with regulatory 

approval for Category-I instrument meteorological conditions 

(IMC) operations in 2008. Other service providers - for 

example, Spain, and Germany - also have LAAS prototypes 

and have shown interest in approving those systems as well. 

Airservices Australia has a GBAS prototype installed at Sydney 

International Airport and a Qantas Boeing 737-800 has 

successfully completed initial GLS (Global Navigation Satellite 

System Landing System) flight testing. These flight trials, 

GBAS siting experiences, and lessons learned will also be part 

of the international information exchange. 

Aerial view of Memphis (MEM) Airport and 

LAAS Prototype (GBAS) Location 
3 

Flying an LPV Approach 

by Larry Oliver, FAA GPS TAC

There are now more than 300 LPV approaches throughout 

the United States, and there will likely be another 300 added 

this year. Unfortunately, there is still some confusion about 

what an LPV approach is, and who can use it. 

LPV stands for “localizer performance with vertical guidance,” 

and it offers an ILS-like capability without requiring any 

additional equipment on the airfield. It uses the GPS signal, 

enhanced by the Wide Area Augmentation System, which in 

turn provides a capability to fly an LPV approach down to as 

low as 200’ with the appropriate airport infrastructure. Not 

all airports will receive the advantage of the minimum 

altitude, however, because each approach must consider 

obstructions and other factors in determining minimums. 

Regarding the basic questions of 

who can fly an LPV and what 

equipment is needed, the answer is 

as always. Your pilot’s operating 

handbook (and any associated supplemental pilot/flight manuals) clearly spells out 

whether your aircraft is authorized to fly 

in IMC, and what approaches it is authorized 

to fly. It is the ultimate authority on the 

matter, but to promote better understanding, 

you must have a GPS receiver that is 

manufactured in accordance with 

TSO-C145 or C-146. 

TSO-C145 is entitled 

“Airborne Navigation 

Sensors Using the 

Global Positioning System 

Augmented by the Wide Area 

Augmentation System,” and usually provides 

navigation outputs to a flight management 

system or navigator. TSO-C146 is “Stand-alone Airborne 

Navigation Equipment Using the Global Positioning System 

Augmented by the Wide Area Augmentation System.” This 

is a complete sensor/navigator system that typically is found 

on aircraft without distributed navigation systems like FMS. 

To be legal to fly an LPV approach with either system, it must 

have an airworthiness approval for installations such as a 

Supplemental Type Certificate. Typically the last instruction 

in an STC is to incorporate the system operating handbook, 

by reference, as part of the pilots operating handbook. 

So much for the technicalities! On to flying an LPV approach. 

If you look at a terminal procedures booklet and find an 

RNAV(GPS) approach, you will notice a few differences. In 

the upper left corner is a block that says “WAAS,” and it 

contains a 5-digit channel number. This channel has nothing 

to do with receiving the WAAS signal. It is a means to select 

the correct approach. Think of it as a page number that pulls 

up the correct “page” from your system. Not all WAAS 

receivers use the approach channel number to identify the 

appropriate procedure. Some use an airport menu that 

selects the appropriate runway and then procedure. Once 

you have the correct “page,” your aircraft will look like it is 

receiving an ILS. On final 

approach you’ll receive a 

glide slope indicator, and 

the sensitivity of the CDI will correspond approximately as your CDI does 

on ILS final. 

Next, drop down to the bottom of the 

page where the category and minimums are displayed. There is an LPV 

DA, and you can fly the vertical guidance to this minimum, but you must 

still observe any other restrictions such 

as minimum altitudes. Below the LPV 

line, you have LNAV/VNAV minima 

and then LNAV minima. If for some 

reason you lose WAAS, you can fly GPS 

down to the LNAV minimums. You 

may be required to reload the appropriate approach procedure due to most 

WAAS receivers not having a “fail down” capability. 

If you have not used a certified GPS before, you will note that 

distances are displayed to the next action point, and not from 

a transmitter. This makes life simple, as you no longer have to 

fly and do subtraction at the same time. 
4 

Some additional good news. Several years ago when GPS was 

first used, requirements for the destination and alternate (under IMC) were quite rigorous. Pilots had to perform a predictive RAIM check and forecast, and had to have a non-GPS 

approach capability at their alternate. With WAAS, the RAIM 

check is accomplished by checking WAAS NOTAMS, and 

you can use the LNAV minimum line for planning purposes 

at your alternate. Upon arrival at your alternate, you may use 

the lowest line of minima available and supported by your 

avionics. 

Enhanced WAAS Satellite 

Coverage in 2006 

by Mary Ann Davis, FAA GPS TAC

In the last couple of years, the FAA has been busy tackling 

satellite planning and procurement challenges – work which 

has been transparent to the users. This year, users will begin 

to see the results of these activities and the associated benefits. 

Since WAAS commissioning in 2003, WAAS has used two 

INMARSAT geostationary satellites (GEO) to broadcast the 

WAAS signal. The leases for these satellites are expiring and 

new satellites are coming on line. Steps will begin this year 

leading to the transition away from these INMARSAT GEOs 

and toward the future WAAS GEO configuration. As a result of these steps, WAAS users will be enjoying a higher level 

of WAAS availability by the end of 2006. 

There are two major WAAS GEO activities that will occur 

this year — both of which will have an impact on users. The 

first will be the move of the INMARSAT AOR-W satellite. 

On February1st, INMARSAT began moving its AOR-W 

satellite to the west. As the satellite moves west, so will footprint 

of its broadcast. The move will take approximately 60 days 

and AOR-W will be in its new position in April. 

The second activity to take place this year will be the debut of 

the WAAS-certified broadcast from the new PanAmSat 

satellite. The PanAmSat was launched in October of last year. 

Since then, steps have been underway to prepare it for WAAS 

service. Final testing and integration activities will take place 

this spring and summer to certify the PanAmSat’s broadcast 

as a part of WAAS. The PanAmSat broadcast footprint will 

be in view of all users within the U.S. Both the move of 

INMARSAT’s AOR-W satellite and the debut of the PanAmSat 

WAAS broadcast will be growth steps for WAAS. 

WAAS Inmarsat GEO Coverage to begin by April 2006 

WAAS GEO Coverage to begin by Fall 2006 

WAAS Inmarsat GEO Coverage 

prior to February 2006 
5 

As with any growth process, there will be some bumps along 

the way. As the AOR-W satellite moves west, so will its area of 

coverage. As a result, from mid-March to approximately late 

September, there will be a few areas in the extreme Northeast 

of the U.S. that will fall outside of the coverage area of WAAS. 

This is a temporary situation and full service will be restored 

in the affected area when the PanAmSat becomes operational 

in the fall. (For more details on the temporary impact of this 

situation to users, please select the “WAAS GEO Moving to 

New Location” link from the front page of our website at 

http://gps.faa.gov.) When both of these satellite activities are 

complete — the AOR-W move and the debut of the PanAmSat 

WAAS broadcast — the net result will be better service 

availability for the users. 

In the past, both Alaska and the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. 

have only been within the broadcast footprint of one WAAS 

satellite. As a result, both of these expansive areas were vulnerable to a loss of WAAS service if one of the two WAAS 

satellites failed for any period of time. In its new location, the 

AOR-W satellite footprint will now cover all of Alaska. 

Additionally, the new PanAmSat broadcast will also cover all 

of Alaska. Alaska will gain double redundant coverage. The 

benefit is similar in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. where 

the new PanAmSat broadcast will add a second layer of WAAS 

coverage. By the end of the year, the majority of all WAAS 

users within the U.S. will now be in view of at least two WAAS 

satellites, and in some cases in view of three WAAS satellites. 

The improved WAAS GEO constellation that will be in place 

by the end of 2006 is only one of the many enhancements in 

store for WAAS users. WAAS has been providing valuable 

benefits since it was commissioned in 2003 and it just keeps 

getting better! 

International WAAS 

Reference Station Update 

by Wally Peterson, FAA GPS TAC

The WAAS team successfully completed all of the 

international installations planned for 2005 on schedule. Installations were completed in Mexico (Merida and Puerto 

Vallarta) in October. This brings the total number of international wide-area reference stations (WRS) to five, including 

the earlier installations in Canada (Gander and Goose Bay) 

and in Mexico (Mexico City). The five international WRS 

sites that were installed in 2005 are planned for integration 

into the WAAS in the summer of 2007. 

In total, the pre-planned improvements to the WAAS include 

integration of four new WRS sites in Alaska, five new WRS 

sites in Mexico, and four new WRS sites in Canada. 

Preparations are already underway for the installation of the 

last four international WRS facilities. NAV CANADA 

completed the site surveys for Winnipeg and Iqualuit earlier 

in 2005. In December, Raytheon and the FAA completed 

site surveys in Tapachula and San Jose Del Cabo, the new 

sites planned for Mexico. Installation for the sites in Mexico 

is planned for June and July 2006. Installation will be 

completed at Winnipeg, Canada in May 2006 and in Iqualuit, 

Canada in August 2006. These last four international WRS 

installations will be integrated into the WAAS in early 2008. 

Incidentally, the next integration of WRS installations will be 

in August of 2006 of the four new Alaska sites which were 

installed in December 2004. 

New Survey Criteria Speeds 

Process to LPV 

by Tim Roe, FAA GPS TAC

One of the largest hurdles to implementing Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) instrument approaches 

is having or obtaining the appropriate level of aeronautical 

survey to support the design. There are many different levels 

or types of surveys, each traditionally supporting a single 

function. I’m sure you’ve heard or seen the acronyms ANAPC, 

ANALPV, PIR, D, C, BV, or CGR - each of these relates to a 

specific type of survey and each type has different specifications and accuracies. Most of the nation’s airports have 

survey data for use in planning and airport development, but 
6 

these surveys do not meet the requirements for use in the 

design of a procedure. It is possible to develop an instrument 

procedure using only planning and development quality 

survey data but the approach minimums will be higher than 

necessary to account for the inaccuracy of the available data. 

Working tirelessly with Aviation System Standards, Flight Standards and the Aeronautical Survey Program of the National 

Geodetic Survey, the WAAS program has developed and is 

utilizing a LPV survey specification called ANALPV. This 

specification is much shorter than the traditional ANAPC 

type survey and has a less stringent accuracy requirement to 

allow the use of aerial imagery to collect some of the data. By 

using aerial imagery, the process of collecting the obstacle data 

is reduced, meaning more survey data faster. This new specification is currently being tested at seven locations and the 

initial results are encouraging. 

The WAAS NAS Implementation team is working diligently 

with other FAA groups and NGS to ensure the greatest numbers of surveys are available for use to provide the lowest 

possible minima to as many airports as possible. This work is 

not only in the area of survey specifications, but in the 

development of new tools to support the collection of aeronautical data such as the Aeronautical Data Collection Analysis 

Tool (ADCAT), a joint development effort of the FAA and 

NGS. This work will continue this year as the WAAS 

program funnels more money (approximately $5 million) into 

the collection of appropriate surveys to meet the ever- growing 

need for these highly beneficial, vertically-guided instrument 

procedures. 

WAAS Government-Industry 

Partnership Announced 

by Mary Ann Davis, FAA GPS TAC

On March 6, 2006, the FAA Office of Acquisitions released a 

Request for Information (RFI) / Market Survey soliciting industry input and interest in establishing a government-industry partnership(s) to expediate the development, integration 

and certification of LPV-capable WAAS avionics (for both fixed 

wing and vertical flight). More information on this announcement can be found at: 

http://www.asu.faa.gov/faaco/index.cfm?ref=4650

Federal Aviation Administration 

800 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20591 

http://gps.faa.gov