And More GPS-Based Approaches Are Coming

While the technology is still fairly new, many pilots have at least limited experience flying a Wide Area Augmentation System approach. It's one of the few tangible benefits seen so far in the Federal Aviation Administration's push towards its purported "NextGen" air traffic control system... and, in September it passed a major milestone.

The FAA says the agency has now published 1,333 Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) approach procedures, which are based on the WAAS space-based navigation system commissioned in 2003. The number of published approach procedures based on WAAS has now surpassed the number of approach procedures based on its ground-based predecessor, the Category-I Instrument Landing System (ILS).

In addition to the greater precision and reliability over ground-based instrument approach equipment with WAAS, the FAA also notes there is no need for the FAA to install and maintain navigation equipment at an airport, unlike an ILS. Additionally, safety is improved as more aircraft are provided with vertically-guided approaches and improved flight planning options enabled by WAAS.

"This is clearly a turning point for aviation and the way pilots navigate," the FAA said of the milestone.

For the past 60 years, Category-I ILS has been used at airports throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) to guide aircraft to as low as 200 feet above the runway surface. WAAS, commissioned five years ago, now provides this same capability... but at more runway ends.

The FAA says WAAS LPVs can currently be found at 833 airports... and that number of WAAS LPVs continues to grow, with the goal of 500 new WAAS procedures each year until every qualified runway in the NAS has one.

WAAS has enabled a new approach capability which will be introduced in 2009, the FAA added.

FMI: www.faa.gov, Read More About WAAS Here