Dassault’s Falcon 7X has met requirements for operating out of London’s City Airport (LCY). The standards for flying at the downtown airport include meeting strict noise abatement departure rules and proving that arriving airplanes can safely fly the airport’s steep glide slope profile. London City Airport approach procedures call for flying a glide path of 5.5 degrees—which is much steeper than the standard, 3-degree glide paths on most instrument landing system (ILS) approaches.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certifies steep approaches to LCY. Applicant airplanes must prove that they can safely approach, land, and take off from the airport’s short runway lengths. For takeoff, airplanes must use no more than 4,327 feet for landing and 3,934 feet for takeoff. A pilot training program for Falcon pilots wanting to use LCY was established with CAE’s simulator training facility at Burgess Hill in the United Kingdom. Soon, the same program will be offered at CAE’s Morristown, N.J., training site.
Thomas A. Horne
Related Articles
