Results of MLS procedural interception flight trials performed at Manchester Airport

Abstract

In July, 1988, flight trials have been performed on the newly installed MLS equipment at Manchester Airport (UK), using one of the laboratory aircraft of NLR, a Fairchild Metro II with programmable avionics systems including a basic MLS receiver as an "Avionics Research Testbed". The aim of the tests was to prove that aircraft with basic IFR equipment can carry out MLS procedural interceptions of the extended runway centreline from any starting point in the MLS coverage area without the aid of a locator. For this purpose a simple "intelligent" control/display unit has been added to a basic MLS receiver to provide navigation information to the pilot on the conventional aircraft instruments. Five evaluation pilots have flown a total of' 80 procedural Interceptions from a number of starting points within MLS coverage, using several navigation instrument configurations. Pilot comments indicate that the MLS interception procedures were acceptable when the deviation of the interception track was presented on a Course Deviation Indicator (GDI), provided that information concerning course and distance to waypoints and a turn annunciation were available. The ground tracks flown proved to be very regular and predictable for ATC.