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NATS, AGI Team to Bring Category III Runway Status to Newcastle

By Juliet Van Wagenen | October 16, 2015
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VPF-730 RVR equipment. Biral
VPF-730 RVR equipment. Photo: Biral

 [Avionics Today 10-16-2015] Newcastle International Airport has become the United Kingdom’s first airport to use Biral’s advanced forward scatter meter sensors in upgrading its Runway Visual Range (RVR) VPF-730equipment to achieve Category III runway status. NATS and Aeronautical & General Instruments Limited (AGI) worked to implement these sensors. The companies have since also worked with Manchester Airport to trial the Biral equipment there. 

Biral’s VPF730 visibility and present weather sensors are used as part of AGI’s RVR equipment to offer the airport runways efficient and accurate measurements to eliminate disruption due to bad weather conditions. The system has been successfully trialed at Newcastle International Airport where it was discovered that the technology is able to provide the high levels of accuracy that is demanded by Category III operations.

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