BER areal view
BER areal view

Survey flights

in the night of 20 to 21 January

Published: 12 January 2023, 14:00

The German Air Traffic Control (DFS) has announced survey flights on the southern runway of BER for the night of 20 to 21 January. A quiet twin-engine propeller aircraft of the type Beechcraft Super King Air 350 will be used for the survey flights, which will take off and land in a westerly direction. Certain regions are often flown over in succession and at low altitudes. Overflights of towns and villages are avoided as far as the given flight profiles allow.

During the survey flights, the instrument landing system (ILS) of the runway is checked for accuracy as well as error-free functioning. The specially equipped measuring aircraft checks the precision of the signals required for safe landings. In daily airport operations, the ILS assists pilots with navigation during the approach. Essentially, this is done by signal transmitters on the ground that send information about the approach course and glide angle to the aircraft's cockpit during landing.

BER areal view

As usual, the survey flights take place at night, as air traffic does not permit this during the day and the ILS cannot be used operationally during the flight survey. The flights are therefore generally exempt from night flight restrictions. Surveying of the ILS is required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) at regular intervals. 

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