Obstacle Analysis
In aviation, maintaining a good margin with respect to obstacles is of the utmost importance, from the time the aircraft takes off until it touches the ground – in good weather, in daylight as well as in bad weather or darkness.
Obstacle margin – an air safety issue
A good margin to obstacles is guaranteed through carefully developed regulations which in turn results in defined flight paths/areas that the pilot must follow with great precision. A common margin for obstacles is 300 meters, which is rather small in an aviation context, as it only takes about 30 seconds for an aircraft to descend this altitude in regular traffic.
LFV has all the facts and required competency
LFV shall always be consulted as stakeholder for infrastructure equipment in planned construction higher than 20 meters. In addition to this control we also conduct airport obstacle analysis where we check that the planned construction does not affect ICAO Annex 14 surfaces (previously BCL surfaces), MSA surfaces, departure and arrival flight procedures, etc. LFV has unique know-how in this area, as only LFV has all the calculation data for existing flight procedures in Sweden. We also have a complete obstacle database. As a builder or airport director you can rest assured when LFV has done the obstacle analysis – no one but us has the entire basis for flight procedures, airspace, obstacle measurement, flight calibration, etc.
Airport obstacle analysis and control of our own infrastructure equipment includes:
- control of which airports are affected
- control of MSA impact
- control of impact on holding, racetrack, etc.
- control of effect on future flight paths
- control of ICAO Annex 14 surfaces
- control of effect on vectoring altitude
- control of VFR flight paths
- control of effect on radio navigation equipment (control of own infrastructure equipment)
- control of effect on radar system (control of own infrastructure equipment) etc.