TAWS systems now mandated for some smaller aircraft |
Transport Canada has introduced new regulations requiring "private turbine-powered and commercial airplanes with six or more passenger seats to be equipped with an alert system known as the “terrain awareness and warning system” (TAWS). In a written statement on July 4, 2012, Transport Canada noted the following: "The new regulations will replace the current regulatory requirement for a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) under section 605.37 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations. In comparison to GPWS, TAWS gives the flight crew much earlier acoustic and visual warnings of a collision, and does so under conditions where GPWS cannot. " "The regulatory amendments require TAWS to be installed with an enhanced altitude accuracy function. TAWS requires precise altitude information to work properly in all climates. Without the enhanced altitude accuracy function, TAWS may give altitude readings that are incorrect by up to 500 feet because of factors such as air pressure and frigid temperatures." The Canadian Aviation Regulations are available on line. And here's the updated Advisory Circular 600-003 with more details on the requirements (Oct 2013) If you're not familiar with TAWS, here's a quick look at the system by Universal Avionics. And here's a background paper from 2006 from the International Civil Aviation Organization discussing the value of TAWs based systems.
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Last Updated on Friday, 18 October 2013 20:51 |