Media Releases
1 March 2010 - Flight Inspection Service keeps Australia’s flights on track - 06/10
Airservices Flight Inspection Service (FIS) will check the functional accuracy of critical air navigation equipment when it visits remote and not-so remote locations to ensure the growing number of regular public transport flights are on track.
Maintenance of equipment is critical for many regional and remote communities where air traffic is a lifeline and for the ongoing safety of an increasing number of Australian’s taking planes more often.
The Brisbane-based service checks the 500 plus navigational aids installed and maintained by Airservices for flight safety at regional and major airports, aerodromes and airstrips on a three-year rotational basis.
The service will undertake 60 separate routine or special flight inspections on equipment in March at:
- QLD – Camooweal, The Monument, Taroom
- NT– Darwin, Alice Springs, Argyle, Howard Springs, Tindal, Ngukurr, Borroloola, McArthur River, Century Mine, Bagot
- NSW – Sydney, Modbury, Broken Hill, Griffith, Hay, Tamworth, Albury, Corowa, West Wyalong, Broken Hill
- VIC – Singleton, Essendon, Gellibrand Hill, Bendigo, Ballarat, Point Cook, Plenty, East Sale, Mount Livingstone, Shepparton, Avalon, Yarrowee
- SA – Adelaide, Edinburgh, Moomba
- WA – Perth, Kalgoorlie, Truscott, Troughton Island.
Equipment being tested includes instrument landing systems (ILS), distance measuring equipment (DME), non-directional beacons (NDB) and wide area multilateration (WAM) navigation aids plus surveillance radars.
Positional and navigational information is relayed from these aids to aircraft and assists pilots in landing safely.
The inspections will be performed by specialist air crew who operate the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air aircraft and equipment to collect precision data while airborne.
The data gathered ensures that each navigation aid is operating accurately.
For media enquiries or an image of the King Air and its equipment call Airservices Media
Ph: +61 2 6257 2828 (24 hrs) or
Email: media@airservicesaustralia.com
Airservices Australia
is a Government owned organisation responsible for the safe and efficient
management of air traffic across 11 per cent of the world's air space.
Services include air traffic control, airspace management, aeronautical
information, radar communications, radio navigation aids, aviation maintenance
and engineering, environmental management and aviation rescue and firefighting.
Airservices website: www.airservicesaustralia.com