By Susan Schept - Navy Times Staff writer
The Coast Guard officially published its decision last Thursday to discontinue its radio navigation tool, known as LORAN-C, after 66 years of operation.
The decision to decommission the Long Range Aids to Navigation program was published in the Federal Register. The Coast Guard will begin shutting off the North American signal Feb. 8 and finish the process by Oct. 1. The Coast Guard operates 24 LORAN-C stations.
You can read the rest of the copyrighted story at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/01/coastguard_LORAN_010710w/
Showing posts with label Loran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Loran. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, September 15, 2007
AOPA Says Loran May Take On New Life In Age Of GPS
Notes Satellite-Based Nav Still Has Its Problems
Courtesy of Aero-News.net
GPS isn't perfect... and during outages pilots need a suitable backup. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says while most pilots use VORs, the FAA plans to decommission them in the next 15 to 20 years.
Enter loran... or should we say, reenter loran.
Last year, the Coast Guard, which operates and maintains loran transmitting stations, proposed to pull the plug on this technology. AOPA pointed out that it still may need to play an important role in the nation's navigation and airspace surveillance system. The Coast Guard then decided to take a more studied approach.
But recently, the Coast Guard asked users to weigh in on its future. If it's retained, the Coast Guard listed options on how to manage it. Loran was more popular until GPS came along. GPS has proven to be easier to use and more affordable for primary navigation.
"It's premature to talk about management options until the FAA and Coast Guard decide if loran is suitable for aviation use as a backup to GPS," said Randy Kenagy, AOPA senior director of advanced technology. "We can discuss how to manage it later."
Over the next two decades, the FAA plans to decommission VORs and radar systems and make the transition to ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) as the primary surveillance system for air traffic control. Because ADS-B requires GPS to report an aircraft's position to ATC, a GPS failure could leave pilots without electronic navigation and air traffic controllers blind unless an alternative positioning system were available.
In its recent comments to the Coast Guard, AOPA laid out various performance parameters for a backup system such as being available for instrument operations throughout North America and the Caribbean; providing uninterrupted service for 30 minutes after a GPS outage; and adding no more than 10 percent to the cost of a navigation or dependent surveillance system.
"While loran appears to be a viable option—among other options—many questions and policy issues remain," Kenagy said. "Those would have to be resolved before the FAA, Coast Guard, and the aviation industry can develop an implementation strategy."
Courtesy of Aero-News.net
GPS isn't perfect... and during outages pilots need a suitable backup. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says while most pilots use VORs, the FAA plans to decommission them in the next 15 to 20 years.
Enter loran... or should we say, reenter loran.
Last year, the Coast Guard, which operates and maintains loran transmitting stations, proposed to pull the plug on this technology. AOPA pointed out that it still may need to play an important role in the nation's navigation and airspace surveillance system. The Coast Guard then decided to take a more studied approach.
But recently, the Coast Guard asked users to weigh in on its future. If it's retained, the Coast Guard listed options on how to manage it. Loran was more popular until GPS came along. GPS has proven to be easier to use and more affordable for primary navigation.
"It's premature to talk about management options until the FAA and Coast Guard decide if loran is suitable for aviation use as a backup to GPS," said Randy Kenagy, AOPA senior director of advanced technology. "We can discuss how to manage it later."
Over the next two decades, the FAA plans to decommission VORs and radar systems and make the transition to ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) as the primary surveillance system for air traffic control. Because ADS-B requires GPS to report an aircraft's position to ATC, a GPS failure could leave pilots without electronic navigation and air traffic controllers blind unless an alternative positioning system were available.
In its recent comments to the Coast Guard, AOPA laid out various performance parameters for a backup system such as being available for instrument operations throughout North America and the Caribbean; providing uninterrupted service for 30 minutes after a GPS outage; and adding no more than 10 percent to the cost of a navigation or dependent surveillance system.
"While loran appears to be a viable option—among other options—many questions and policy issues remain," Kenagy said. "Those would have to be resolved before the FAA, Coast Guard, and the aviation industry can develop an implementation strategy."
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