Nowadays, air traffic controllers and pilots need to send and receive accurate and reliable information in order to operate safely. To do so, they use communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems. These systems work by transmitting and receiving suitably modulated radio frequency signals that propagate by spatial wave, that is, by direct line of sight between transmitter and receiver, in order to track the position of aircraft and to guide or direct their movement from one point to another in a safe, smooth and efficient manner. The information provided by these systems is therefore essential for the design of flight procedures, which establish the trajectory that aircraft must follow in order to avoid collision with each other or with any element in the environment.

However, the presence of obstacles on the ground in the vicinity of such equipment can cause signal fading or amplification, and, in general, overlaps and distortions in the information transmitted. In recent decades, these effects are becoming more pronounced, as increasing urban and industrial development is taking place in airport environments, leading to the emergence of high obstacle densities in the vicinity of CNS systems.

Automating data entry saves time, improves efficiency and reduces the possibility of human error

Simulation studies to assess impact on radio systems analyse the disturbances that physical obstacles can cause in radio wave transmission. Their analyses are vital for air navigation because they enable identification of those that are incompatible with the proper functioning and/or performance of the systems, ensuring that aircraft take-off, flight and landing operations are carried out correctly. Ineco boasts a long list of national and international simulation projects to assess effects on CNS radio systems, with more than three thousand studies done.

It is from within this context that the main motivation for this innovation project, developed in 2020, arises. Engineering specialists need software tools to assess the impact of obstacles and terrain on the performance of these systems in a quantitative manner that is as close to reality as possible, enabling them to evaluate key aspects of the design of flight procedures, such as the coverage and signal quality of CNS equipment.

In particular, to assess the impact on pulsed systems, Ineco developed the Impulse tool (currently integrated into Navtools), which, as a first approach to this problem, was capable of carrying out a qualitative analysis of the impact on primary and secondary surveillance radars, and DME equipment.

In the new innovation project developed at Ineco, which will have a final version from the first quarter of 2021, a major step forward has been taken by replacing the initial qualitative studies with quantitative studies modelling the real signals emitted by equipment and aircraft for primary and secondary surveillance radars and for DME (Distance Measuring Equipment). In this way, by considering real radiation patterns, encoding and decoding the pulses and taking into account multipath effects caused by terrain and obstacles in the environment, it is possible to carry out much more precise and detailed studies than those carried out so far (qualitative analysis only). New functionalities have also been incorporated in DME stations, such as the calculation of the distance error committed, power losses, system decoupling, etc. The implementation of all these new functionalities makes it possible to address studies that until now could not be undertaken analytically and were resolved qualitatively or by expert judgement. Likewise, having such a powerful tool in air navigation for the study of pulsed systems strongly positions Ineco both in the national and international market when carrying out aeronautical safety studies, radioelectric impact studies or procedure design.

Ineco has carried out various radio equipment and navigation easement studies for the Oman Aviation Academy at Sohar Airport in the Sultanate of Oman. The aim is to ensure that the new infrastructure of the flight school (academic building, student residence, hangars, aircraft apron, etc.) does not interfere with the safety and regularity of operations. The work carried out included a study of possible violation of the BRA (Building Restricted Areas) of the CNS installations, as well as detailed studies and simulation of the signals of the ILS/DME, DVOR/DME equipment. The company is also carrying out other similar studies at the same airport in Sohar and at the airport in the capital, Muscat.

The annual World ATM Congress (WAC) event plays host to product demonstrations and launches, contract closures and networking opportunities, together with a busy schedule of conferences and high-level meetings. This year, a total of 225 exhibiting companies and 7,500 delegates from 130 countries took part. Every year, the World ATM Congress brings together around a hundred air navigation service providers (ANSPs), product developers, leaders and experts in the aviation industry, government representatives, manufacturers and industry suppliers from around the world.

Organised by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) –of which Enaire (formerly Aena) is a founding member and which brings together air navigation service providers from around the world– in partnership with the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), an association that represents the air traffic control sector, the World Air Traffic Management Congress is an indispensable event that Ineco has been attending for almost 20 years.

The Galileo system: the brightest star

Galileo is the flagship project of European satellite navigation: a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that will boast a total of 30 satellites by 2020 –26 of which are already in orbit– managed by the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA). Galileo is compatible and interoperable with systems such as the US’s GPS and Russia’s GLONASS, and will offer an unprecedented improvement in performance in terms of precision, resilience and robustness.

In 2016, the GSA entrusted its operation and maintenance to a consortium led by Spaceopal for the following 10 years. Spain is part of this consortium, through a group of public enterprises led by Ineco, in partnership with Isdefe and INTA (National Institute of Aerospace Technology). Ineco is in charge of the operation, top level maintenance and management of the hosting services of the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) located at the INTA’s facilities in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid).

Orderly skies

With a marked international orientation, the air navigation sector moves in a world of extreme safety requirements and resulting advances in new equipment and technologies to ensure this safety.

Since 2007, Ineco has been part of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) project, which is currently in the deployment phase of unifying space and air traffic control in Europe. In this respect, WAC 2019 played host to SESAR guided walking tours which saw the involvement of Ineco’s aviation experts Pilar Calzón, Víctor Gordo, Fernando Ruiz-Artaza, José Manuel Rísquez, Mercedes López and José Recio. There were also presentations on the integration of small drones and their application in airports and CTR environments by Víctor Gordo, and on the HEDIPRO flight procedure design tool by the engineers Javier Espinosa Aranda and Fernando Carrillo, also from Ineco.

The company has extensive experience in calculating and designing aeronautical charts for the publication of procedures based on PBN, GNSS, GBAS and vertical guidance approaches (APV SBAS), airspace restructuring –such as the restructuring carried out at Spanish airports and in countries of the likes of Egypt and Morocco– and navigation easement studies. Designs of instrumental flight procedures for the international market are also carried out, such as those implemented for the airports of the Sultanate of Oman, Cape Verde and Singapore Changi Airport.

In addition, in partnership with ENAIRE (formerly Aena), Ineco has carried out more than 2,000 radio simulations to assess the impact on airport CNS systems of infrastructures close to airports, such as shopping centres and housing developments, and within the airports themselves, for instance, new terminal buildings and runway extensions. To achieve this, the company uses its own NAVTOOLS proprietary software.

RPAS: all of the guarantees for drone flights

Ineco’s RPAS radio navigation aid verification project, which was presented during WAC 19, is an innovative solution for in-flight recording of radio navigation aid signals and a console on the ground that makes it possible to determine the trajectory flown and quality of guidance provided by the radio navigation aid.

The company is certified to operate and owns a light commercial drone for inspection of bridges and viaducts, and has also acquired a drone with greater capabilities and autonomy able to carry payloads of up to 4 kg, enabling more complex operations to be carried out.

From SACTA to iTEC

In terms of automated air traffic control systems, Ineco has historically worked in collaboration with Enaire and other industry partners on the evolution and development of its control system, known as SACTA, which
was designed entirely by Spanish companies and is a benchmark at the European and global levels. The SACTA and ICARO systems and the ACC voice communication system (COMETA) provide all aeronautical information necessary for air traffic control in Spain and are constantly updated.

The company is currently collaborating with Enaire on the development of a future automated air traffic control system (iTEC). Ineco is also working on another fundamental element for air navigation safety: guaranteeing the quality of the aviation data that ENAIRE collects, publishes and supplies.

The company is carrying out the project management and supervision of the design and construction of the enlargement works of Fujairah international airport, in Abu Dhabi (UAE), which plans to triple its cargo operations over the next decade.
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the project developer, has taken charge of the works to adapt the infrastructure to the predicted growth and their implementation is planned for the end of the year 2018.

The works to be performed by Ineco along with its partner PMDC (Project Management and Design Consultants) involve the comprehensive management of the project and the supervision of works, which include the building of a new air traffic control tower, the enlargement of the runway, and the building of a new emergency runway, as well as new rapid exit taxiways. Furthermore, the traffic guidance equipment and the meteorological system will be completely updated, a new electrical power plant and substations will be built and the existing CNS systems will be improved (ILS, DVOR). Ineco’s tasks cover both the project management –control of deadlines, costs and contractual aspects– and the supervision of the whole project, from the design phase to construction and implementation.

Kaohsiung port, the largest in Taiwan and one of the most important ports in the world in terms of container traffic, is in full expansion with the construction of a new intercontinental container zone, a project that the Ministry of Transport and Communication of Taiwan and the Kaohsiung Port Branch (KPB) began in 2007. To increase its current loading capacity an increase in the size of cranes is necessary to about 150 metres in height in various docks of the port, which is equivalent to a building of 33 floors, such as the Agbar tower in Barcelona. However, the installation of such large cranes would be interfering with the current operations of Kaohsiung international airport, located just two kilometres away, and it would infringe upon the airport’s protection areas. With the objective that the Taiwanese Civil Aviation Authority allows the installation of the cranes, the port authority of Kaohsiung has commissioned a study whose objective is to demonstrate that the cranes will not negatively affect the safety of air operations. This project is being executed jointly by Ineco and the local company MiTAC.

In the context of the project, Ineco has already carried out a series of key activities with regard to evaluating the feasibility of an increase in the height of the cranes. Firstly, Ineco engineers have analysed both the maximum heights that the cranes could reach in each dock of the port without interfering with the instrument flight procedures published (including take-off, approach and landing manoeuvres and flights en route), as well as the modifications that would be necessary in the flight procedures for these to be compatible with the heights of the cranes required by Kaohsiung port authority in each of the port’s docks, thus ensuring the safety of these operations in accordance with the procedure design standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

To increase the current loading capacity of the Kaohsiung port it is necessary to increase the size of the cranes to about 150 metres in height in various docks of the port, which makes it necessary to modify the instrument flight procedures of the airport

Secondly, given that cranes of such large dimensions can be an obstacle for the correct transmission of electromagnetic signals of the air navigation facilities located in the vicinity, Ineco experts have studied their compatibility with all of the communications, navigation and surveillance systems that support the operations in Kaohsiung airport and in the surrounding air space, with 11 facilities in total being analysed, including instrument landing systems, primary and secondary surveillance radars, distance measuring equipment and communication centres. The examination of communications, navigation and surveillance systems (known as CNS systems) was carried out in terms of coverage and quality of the signal in space (through the study of potential multipath phenomena), with support from specialised radioelectric simulation tools.

Moreover, taking into account the new dimensions of the cranes, it was analysed in which way the obstacle limitation surfaces of Kaohsiung airport, established in Taiwanese regulations, would be infringed and recommendations were provided with respect to marking and lighting needs for the cranes that do so, in accordance with ICAO regulations. Lastly, Ineco provided the relevant recommendations regarding operations of the pilots.

The methodology for executing the previously mentioned analyses was also defined by Ineco, using for this purpose its extensive experience in studies of these kinds both in Spain and in other countries, and adopting the necessary hypotheses in each case, since cranes are mobile objects and since the model intended to be installed was not known.

As a result, the report shows, on one hand, for the 44 docks analysed the maximum achievable height compatible with the current instrument flight procedures, and the modifications necessary in these procedures (increase of the climb gradient in certain departures, modification of the operation minimums in various approaches, etc.) with regard to allowing the installation of cranes with the required height in each of the docks; moreover, with the objective of ensuring compatibility with current and future CNS systems, both the adaptations that must be carried out in the systems, when they are necessary and feasible, and the maximum heights that cranes can achieve to ensure that no adverse effects will occur (when there is no mitigation mechanism of this effect through the adaptation of systems) are depicted; lastly, the infringements of the protection surfaces over the 44 docks are detailed as well as the associated marking and lighting recommendations.

The methodology for executing the analyses was defined by Ineco, using for this purpose its extensive experience in studies of these kinds both in Spain and in other countries, and adopting the necessary hypotheses in each case

For years Ineco has carried out work relating to obstacle limitation surfaces, flight procedures or CNS systems in airports in Spain, Oman, the UAE, Cape Verde, Singapore and Kuwait, among other countries.