Towards a new, safe beginning in Indian skies

The spate of aerial mishaps in India can make anyone quake in his boots while boarding an aircraft. The tragic Mangalore crash along with a serial bunch of near misses has put the spotlight on safety in Indian skies. Experts have questioned India’s airline safety record and there seem to be more questions than solutions on this front.
At this juncture, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) have come together to create a unique navigation platform. The satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) is slowly becoming the talk of the aviation town. The final operation phase of the country’s GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) was formally launched recently by civil aviation minister Praful Patel, raising new expectations on the safety front.
The GAGAN system, being developed by AAI and Isro, envisages a network of ground stations and satellites that would ensure greater navigational accuracy and also continuity of signals for aircraft. This system will not become operational for civil aviation until June 2013, but signals from the system for non aviation uses such as surveying or search and rescue are expected to be available as early as March next year once the space component is in place.
A satellite-based augmentation system helps pilots check the accuracy of the GPS data they receive and alerts them about a correction within six seconds. It would also render easier the task of aircraft separation for air traffic controllers besides saving costs on instrument landing systems on runways.
16/08/10 Ajay Sukumaran/Financial Express

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Aug 2010, Safety Aug 2010