Aviation Award 2014 for environmentally friendly aviation
With their project "Flexible precision approaches with the aid of corrected GNSS signals", scientists from the DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation won second prize in the inaugural Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH award.
Thomas Dautermann and Michael Felux from the Institute of Communications and Navigation and Robert Geister from DLR Braunschweig developed a satellite-supported procedure that also enables inclined or curved approach routes in airspace.
Current instrument landing systems for commercial aircraft, which are based on radio signals, only allow straight precision approaches, which then often inevitably lead over built-up areas. The resulting noise pollution can be reduced by a route guidance system based entirely on satellite navigation. By significantly increasing the accuracy and reliability of navigation, more complex horizontal and vertical approach routes can be realized. Steep approaches with variable descent profiles can also be realized.
The procedure has been under development since the mid-1990s under the name Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS). More precise navigation using systems such as GPS, Galileo or GLONASS during the landing approach would improve route guidance and noise protection, and would also further increase the safety and efficiency of air traffic.
The Aviation Award called for ideas from the fields of aircraft design, propulsion systems, visionary systems, on-board energy management and airport operations and management. In addition to innovation and market maturity, the criteria for the award were above all environmental and customer benefits.