The pilots of the Civil Aviation Agency successfully performed a test flight using the new PBN navigation concept and the Egnos satellite system, which has been operational in Europe for the last two years, for the first time in the airspace of Montenegro.
The new PBN navigation concept is based on the aircraft's navigation capabilities and enables greater accuracy of air flights.
The landing procedure that was used in the test flight was prepared by the Spanish company PildoLabs, within the project funded by the European Union Horizon 2020.
The procedure is based on the use of the new European satellite system Egnos, which significantly increases the accuracy of the signals of existing satellite systems (GPS, Glonass and Galileo) for air flights.
Pilot Dragan Popović said that they came to two important conclusions during this flight.
We have confirmed, he says, the existence of a sufficiently high-quality signal of the Egnos system in Montenegro and, more importantly, its accuracy and precision, which corresponds to the most demanding types of navigation.
"The transition from the existing flight navigation system to the PBN concept would first of all lead to fewer flight cancellations, because the accuracy is so good that it enables flights even in bad weather conditions," said Popović, who performed a test flight with fellow pilot Milorad Todorović.
The use of the PBN system could be an important step and help the airport operator in developing procedures for night flights at the Tivat airport, which was not possible until now.
"Using ground resources, procedures for night flights at Tivat airport cannot be determined. The precision that the PBN concept gives us, in the amount of 0.03 nautical miles in the entire airspace of Montenegro, could enable the wide application of this technology in our country, but and to contribute to the creation of procedures and a project for night flights at Tivat airport," explained Popović.
The existing procedures are based on the use of ground navigation aids and impose certain restrictions, which is why the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is to phase out ground aids gradually.
The Civil Aviation Agency says that the further development of PBN procedures can increase the capacity of the airspace of Montenegro as a whole, with the necessary participation and active role of all entities in air traffic.
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