Swedish MRO provider Taby Air Maintenance has received European regulatory approval for a new modification kit to help operators of Saab 2000 aircraft comply with performance-based navigation requirements.
Taby Air Maintenance’s (TAM) localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) modification kit received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency on Aug. 10. Developed in-house through a collaboration with CMC Electronics, the kit includes a variety of avionics equipment, including a GPS landing system sensor unit and control panels, dashboard annunciators, dual GPS/satellite-based augmentation systems antennas and a laptop-to-aircraft interface unit. The modification utilizes the current screens in Saab 2000s, meaning installation is simple and the cockpit layout does not need to be significantly altered.
According to Par Gulle, managing director at TAM, the company began pursuing the modification offering due to a customer request.
“As a major Saab 2000 operator realized last year that part of their traffic program would be affected by some airports retiring their [instrument landing systems], our engineering department was tasked to find a solution that would be as easy to install as to use,” says Gulle. “Now, the system is airborne and certified, thanks to our engineers’ deep knowledge of the Saab 2000, combined with a creative ability to ‘think outside the box.’”
The modification is aimed at compliance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1048, which requires most aircraft operations to apply performance-based navigation by 2030. The European Union is moving away from ground-based approaches, such as instrument landing systems, to satellite-based approaches, such as required navigation performance (RPN) and LPV. Aircraft equipped with LPV or RNP will be mandatory in Europe in early 2024.
According to TAM, the LPV modifications will initially take place at its facility in Orebro, Sweden, but will eventually be sold to customers as kits with a traveling technician to help with installation. Typical installations take between 12-14 days.
TAM is now pursuing corresponding FAA validation for the LPV modification kit.
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