ENAIRE advances the use of drones to support the flight inspection of radio aids
ENAIRE, Spain’s national air navigation service provider, is driving technological innovation in its services by validating a receiver installed on drones to assess air navigation radio aid signals in flight. This initiative marks a step forward in the calibration of these systems and will help optimise and modernise the maintenance processes for systems that are critical to aviation.
As a certified provider of air navigation services under Regulation (EU) 373/2017, ENAIRE is responsible for operating a broad network of radio aids that guide aircraft through the various phases of flight.
These installations require regular checks both on the ground and in flight. Traditionally, in-flight checks have been carried out using aircraft specially equipped with highly accurate signal measurement and recording systems, with technicians on board. The current project is exploring the use of drones as a complementary tool for these tasks. This project should not be seen as a substitute for the flight inspection tasks that air navigation service providers carry out in accordance with procedures established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but rather as a means of improving the efficiency of these checks and support potential pre-adjustments and additional verification tasks.
