By Patrick Gilligan, VP, Operations, COPA National
The Federal Aviation Administration and Nav Canada are transitioning to a satellite based navigation system and have begun decommissioning the bulk of ground based navigational aids. Many pilots have already transitioned to GPS as their primary navigation method. This survey’s goal is to receive pilot feedback on how the GPS system is performing.
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association and the US-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) are launching a survey to gauge the amount of GPS interference and number of outages pilots flying in both countries have experienced.
The survey comes at a time when more satellite-based instrument approaches are being created and ground-based approaches are being taken offline. As Nav Canada and the US FAA prepares to switch to a satellite-based NextGen air traffic control system, the two associations want to ensure that the new system has the capabilities that general aviation pilots need and that it is as resistant as possible to interference and outages.
The anonymous survey, which will be available until 15 November 2015, asks pilots about the location and type of flying they do, if and how pilots use IFR-certified GPS units, and the nature of any GPS interference or outages experienced and how that affected the flight, among other questions. The survey provides an opportunity for pilots to fill in their personal information to receive more information, but the fields are not mandatory to complete the survey.
The two organizations will use the survey data to advocate on behalf of pilots.
Thank you for participating in our survey. Your feedback is important.
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