June 17, 2013
The MITRE Corporation’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development is recruiting pilots for a study, conducted under a contract with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), evaluating proposed changes to runway standards at small airports.
The study will examine whether or not infrastructure standards, such as runway width and length, pavement markings, visual guidance systems and edge lighting, can be changed in order to accommodate satellite-based instrument approach procedures, such as Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approaches, to those runways that don’t currently support low-visibility procedures.
“Access to smaller airports is critical for business aviation,” said Peter Korns, NBAA operations service group specialist. “But safety is the primary focus behind these change initiatives and we want to support research and development that will help determine any safety or performance risk factors.”
Download the MITRE flyer about the study (250 KB, PDF)
The five-hour research evaluation will take place at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, FL and involves four hours of simulator time. Coordinators are looking for a representative sample of pilots across all age categories and certificate types (private, commercial and ATP) who can legally fly a Cessna 172 in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Although travel expenses will not be covered, pilots will be paid for their participation.
Pre-flight questionnaires on a pilot’s previous experience must be completed before starting the evaluation, and participants must have had a flight review within the last two years, be current instrument rated pilots, have at a minimum four hours experience using glass cockpit displays and speed tapes with a current medical certificate without a night flight or a color signal control restriction.
The data collected during this study will be de-identified prior to analysis and reporting. Individual pilots and their input will not be identifiable.
Anyone interested in participating in this research should contact Anna Christine Yilmaz at (317) 459-5947 or yilmaza@my.erau.edu.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.