One of the advantages of WAAS is that it can provide approaches with
vertical guidance to minimums that are better than non-precision approaches
but worse that an ILS *without* the full ALS, etc. At my home airport that
could often make the difference between missing the NDB approach and going
to the nearest airport with an ILS or landing and driving my own car home.
The idea being you can get a whole lot more utility for no additional costs
for ground-based infrastructure.

Dave Reinhart


Sydney Hoeltzli wrote:

Big John wrote:

"the FAA has spent $886 million on WAAS to date" ....................

Gaaah! And the way they're planning things, I'm sure
lower mins won't be available until the airport sinks
a million or so into an approach lighting system of sorts.

Help me out here, fellow campers. IIRC I read a Wally
Roberts interview on AVWEB which referred to the cost of
an ILS (minus approach lights) as being about $1.5 million
dollars. And it's fair to consider "minus approach lights"
because the airport will need to come up with an ALS etc
even w/ WAAS.

So....how many airports are there in the country?

Looks to me as though the FAA could have installed ILS
at about 500 GA airports for the cost of WAAS, and
people would be flying 'em today

Wonder how that compares to the number of US airports
where other factors (obstructions, terrain, rwy
length etc) are otherwise compatible w/ a precision-
type approach.

Oy. Your tax dollars at work.

Cheers,
Sydney