A whole new way of flying is one step closer to reality thanks to researchers at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. By reducing the distances flown, satellite navigation will result in significant cost savings for airlines.
Satellite navigation promises even greater benefits by supporting better approaches to more runways.
This means that aircraft will be able to land safely in lower visibility conditions, reducing delays and resulting in better service for air travelers. To make the transition to satellite navigation possible, the accuracy, integrity and availability of GPS must first be enhanced to meet aviation's stringent standards. The software in an aircraft's GPS receiver needs to compensate for the effect of both the ionosphere and the troposphere on the GPS signals. While LAAS will use facilities at airports to transmit correction data to approaching aircraft, WAAS will use satellites to relay the necessary data over a wide area. But the correction for the troposphere, being a local effect, must be computed by the aircraft's WAAS-capable GPS receiver.