Airservices Australia to inspect navaids throughout October

Airservices Australia's Flight Inspection Service will be checking and calibrating a network of navigational aids around the country this month.

Airservices regularly conducts flight calibration inspections on approximately 500 navigational aids throughout the country on a three-year rotational basis.

The inspections ensure these vital pieces of navigation equipment are operating within the required high tolerances.

Equipment being checked includes distance measuring equipment (DMEs), VHF omnidirectional range transmitters, non-directional beacons, instrument landing systems, and approach lighting.

The Brisbane-based Airservices Flight Inspection Service team will carry out the navaid inspections using two specially equipped, twin-engined Beechcraft King Airs.

Using three-dimensional laser measuring equipment and GPS technology, information from the navaid is relayed to aircraft and interpreted by specialist aircrew. The data is then analysed by Airservices maintenance engineers to ensure each navaid is operating accurately.

The date and locations of the inspections, state by state, are:

- WA – Argyle (8 October), Wyndham (8 October), Kununurra (8-9 October)

- NSW – Sydney (1-2 October), Church Creek (13 October), Quirindi (16 October), Tamworth (19 October)

- ACT – Canberra (13 October)

- QLD – Kingaroy (2 October), Birdsville (2 October), Taroom (10 October), Gayndah (17 October), Gladstone (17 October), Hamilton Island (17 October), Townsville (17-18 October), Innisfail (19 October), Cairns (19-20 October), Collinsville (22 October), Dysart (22 October), Rockhampton (22 October), Thangool (22 October)

- VIC – Epping (25 October), Eildon Weir (25 October), Bolinda (25 October), Rockdale (25 October), Melbourne (26-30 October)

- NT – Darwin (3-6 October), Howard Springs (3 October)

- TAS – Nile (30 October), Launceston (31 October)