Stefan Becker
Abstract:
Swiss Air-Rescue Rega has implemented the first step of the Swiss Low Flight Network (LFN) together with its partners, Swiss Air Force, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and the Swiss ANS provider Skyguide. Since December 2017, the first part of the LFN is operational. The oral presentation focuses on the necessary steps, assessments and analysis to obtain the authorisation for flying IFR missions safely also without active radar guidance. State-of-the-art helicopters, well- trained pilots, radio coverage, reliable meteorological information, clear procedures and professional communication are the backbone of the LFN.
In addition, the current operational experience will be shared with the audience, as well as an outlook on the future development.
Bad weather with low visibility still prevents helicopter from flying according to visual flight rules (VFR) and, subsequently, patients in many countries from a quick and safe access to modern emergency medicine. Especially patients in rural and inaccessible areas are dependent on air-rescue means. The Swiss Low Flight Network (LFN) bridges this gap by a system of instrument (IFR) flight routes with performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures at hospitals and air-rescue bases. To avoid implementations of expensive and difficult aviation infrastructure, a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) is used for the navigation.