Nav-Aide Drone: Smart Drone Solution, co-developed by Colibrex and FCS Flight Calibration Services, offers advanced solutions to ILS and VOR/DVOR system inspections
The new leadership team at the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, led by Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar, Managing Director, under the current federal government represented by Barrister Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has resolved to adopt “Nav-Aide Drone” technology to eliminate blind spots in the Nigerian airspace and to also aid zero visibility in landing and takeoff.
A recent visit early this month to some European countries, especially to a firm named Colibrex, in Lichtenau, Germany, flagged off discussion on the acquisition of modern navigational aids, NAVAIDS, equipment for NAMA.
According to a statement by Tunde Moshood, Special Assistant, S.A. Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the visit was an indication of the government determination to embrace modern technology in NAVAIDS equipment.
The statement affirmed that the Minister, Festus Keyamo, MD of NAMA, Farouk Ahmed Umar, and other technical crew in the entourage to Lichtenau, explored Nav Aide drone technology.
At Colibrex, the Managing Director of the company unveiled the latest technological innovation – NavAide drones. This cutting-edge equipment promises to revolutionize navigational aids with its advanced capabilities in measurement and calibration.
For a practical demonstration of the NavAide drones with their ancillary equipment, the ministerial team travelled to the closest runway at Nuremberg airport to ascertain the equipment’s functionality.
They were accompanied on the trip by their hosts, the Managing Director of the NavAide-drone manufacturer, Colibrex, Mr. Luc Haebelae. Others were Dr Schone, Managing Director of LS Telcom, and Mr Cedric Gonzalez, Director of Sales and Marketing at Colibrex.
At Nuremberg airport, the statement reported that the team “witnessed firsthand the practical demonstration of the NavAide drone technology, showcasing its unparalleled technological relevance in distance/altitude measurements and calibrations.
MATTERS ARISING-: DECOMMISSIONING EQUIPMENTS AND RETRAINING OF PERSONNEL
However, some sections of the stakeholders have been perturbed by the seemingly unbridled migration from one type of air navigation infrastructure and equipment to another. They had rightly wondered if the new equipment would impact the multimillion-dollar investment made in the recent past on the calibration aircraft.
Responding, the office of the aviation minister in a media statement volunteered thus, “NavAide drone technology represents a modern approach to calibration and measurement tasks traditionally carried out by calibration aircraft.
It elucidated further that “the NavAide drone with its advanced measurement and calibration capabilities, can perform similar functions as Calibration Aircraft but with certain advantages such as lower operating costs, higher precision, and the ability to operate in varied weather conditions or inaccessible areas”.
Also of concern to stakeholders on the shift, is the fate of the calibration console reportedly abandoned somewhere in Europe, a couple of years ago.
The minister’s statement expressed that, “government interest in NavAide drone technology suggests a strategic shift towards more modern, possibly more cost-effective, and efficient technological solutions for navigational aids calibration. The decision to explore such alternatives likely reflects an intention to overhaul or upgrade existing systems, which could include revisiting and assessing the fate of older equipment like the calibration console”.
Another critical issue of concern is in the realm of training officers that will man the new technological equipment soon to be deployed.
The minister, further clarified that “the transition must be managed with a focus on comprehensive training, gradual integration, and active involvement of personnel to ensure that these changes lead to enhanced safety, efficiency, and job satisfaction”.
GLIDESLOPE
The equipment is also known as GLIDEPATH. This component is a unit of the Instrument Landing System, ILS, it provides vertical guidance for Pilots and the aircraft during approach or landing.
According to the public education by NAMA, a typical glideslope will take the pilot and the aircraft down toward the runway without hassles and at a 3-degree angle. The Glideslope also helps Pilots to maintain a stabilized descent towards the runway.
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