(Aspen, CO) After a successful flight test Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is confident its navigational aid at the top of Aspen Mountain will be up and running by Friday, November 5th.
The “localizer directional aid,” or LDA, has been out of service since Oct. 8. FAA engineers have replaced a wooden structure with a steel structure, and then set up a new array of 14 antenna.
The test flights, conducted with an FAA plane, allowed technicians on the project to ensure that the LDA was sending out a consistent set of radio signals, without interference, to just the right area between the runway and Aspen Mountain.
The LDA provides guidance to pilots when they are on a conventional instrument approach to the airport. The existing mountain-top LDA had been in need of repair for some time, according to FAA officials.