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| Photo: NATS (flickr) |
[Avionics Today 12-01-2014] Newcastle International Airport has become the first airport in the United Kingdom to achieve category III status for the use of forward scatter meter runway visual range equipment.
Airport landing equipment is ranked dependent on the level of visibility it can operate in, from category I through to III. Until now, forward scatter meters, which measure runway visibility, have been approved only for use in supporting category I operations. However, following a successful trial early this year, Newcastle Airport and air traffic engineers at NATS have been able to prove that the technology can also provide the level of accuracy required for more demanding category III operations.
According to a statement released by NATS, the achievement will significantly reduce the costs of this vital piece of runway technology to airports by replacing the need for the more expensive equipment traditionally needed for category III operations.