License Granted To Eurocopter For Its Donauwörth Facility

The onsite helicopter landing pad at Eurocopter’s headquarters in Germany has become the first helipad in Europe to make use of Localizer Performance with Vertical (LPV) guidance, a highly precise, GPS-supported instrument approach procedure.

The new procedure supplements conventional lateral guidance systems by adding the vertical component, which enables approach guidance to be displayed in 3D for the first time. This improved guidance relieves the strain on pilots and increases safety, since obstacles can be flown over safely even when visibility conditions are poor.

The license permitting LPV approaches to the helipad also means Eurocopter in Donauwörth can use the new procedure when testing and approving navigation systems for use in its helicopters. Eurocopter is currently conducting these tests using its twin-engine EC135 and EC145 T2 helicopters. The Group’s international customers stand to benefit from these improved conditions for landing approaches, as they can now take off and land even in bad weather. Eurocopter also offers its customers training courses for the new system.

The LPV instrument approach procedure is based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlapping Service (EGNOS) satellite-based format, which augments the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNNS) to allow three-dimensional positioning. Eurocopter’s special on-site helipad, which sees some 6,000 take-offs and landings a year, is one of the few in the world to have been certified as suitable for all-weather operations in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements.

(Image provided by Eurocopter)

FMI: www.eurocopter.com