By John Myers, Jr. Staff ReporterA NEW Instrument Landing System (ILS), which was acquired at a cost of US$1 million by the Government for the Norman Manley International Airport, is yet to be commissioned into operation, more than a year after it was installed.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told The Gleaner that Jamaica was still waiting for the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry out a flight test to approve the equipment the NORMAC (NAVIA) 7000 before it could be used.
On Tuesday, Leo McEwan, senior public relations officer in the Transport and Works Ministry said a FAA team was expected in the island in early May to carry out the tests.
Colonel Torrance Lewis, director-general of the CAA, did not respond to messages for a comment on the matter, but Mr. McEwan said the local aviation regulator has already submitted the procedures governing the landing patterns for the airport to the FAA.
PRECISION APPROACH
Captain Keith White, president of the Jamaica Airline Pilots Association (JALPA), explained that the ILS "is the most popular form of precision approach that is used ...".
He said the equipment enhances the ability of a pilot to negotiate safe landing in poor weather conditions. He pointed out that the ILS was calibrated to such a high standard that it can facilitate the landing of an aircraft automatically, if the aircraft is outfitted with the necessary instrumentation.
"Our aircraft at present have the capability for auto land but they are not certified for it (the ILS) at this time," he said.
The decision to have the ILS installed at the Norman Manley Airport was taken after a near-disaster incident in November 2001 when an Air Jamaica aircraft missed the runway by several miles.
It was reported that the aircraft was seen flying low over the Hope Pastures community in St. Andrew before climbing out of danger. At the time of the incident, poor weather conditions and malfunctioning equipment, were blamed for the incident. In February 2002, air traffic controllers went on strike after complaining about faulty equipment at the airport.
