NEW AIRPORT GEAR SHOWS THE WAY IN THE FOG.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 12/30/2005): A report Thursday incorrectly stated the ability of United Airlines flights to use a new landing system at the Eugene Airport. United's subcontractor at the airport, SkyWest Airlines, uses the Category II system and not the new Category III Instrument Landing System.

A high-tech landing system at the Eugene Airport is giving pilots a new way to see through the cotton candy fog that can shroud the Willamette Valley and force local air travelers on a long bus detour to and from Portland International Airport.

The new system puts Eugene among four airports in the Northwest using the advanced gear. The others are Portland, Spokane and Seattle-Tacoma.

The Category III Instrument Landing System projects an image on a special screen in front of a pilot called a "head-up display." The image provides altitude, heading, speed and other information.

It projects a winged circle to represent the aircraft's position and a smaller circle to represent the precise course to the runway. By maneuvering to keep the small circle within the larger circle, the pilot keeps his plane on course through the fog.

As the plane descends to the runway, the pilot can see specialized approach lights and runway lights to complete the landing.

The Federal Aviation Administration, at the urging of Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., paid the entire cost of the Eugene upgrade over a period of several years. The airport and airlines worked in that time to coordinate protocols, and operations such as lighting and other parts of the landing system were installed, Airport Manager Bob Noble says. The switch to full Category III operations took place Dec. 22.

"It's a wonderful advancement for us," Noble says. "What we've done is we've optimized technology for our size airport and our size community."

It's hard to calculate just how many travelers will be spared a delay because of the new equipment, says Jen McSkimming, spokeswoman for Horizon Air, one of the airlines that serve Eugene.

Roughly calculating flight numbers, times and average weather conditions, McSkimming estimates that Horizon will land 40 flights annually that otherwise would be diverted to Portland due to Eugene fog. That would mean 40 additional flights annually also would be able to take off on schedule from Eugene.

Passengers also will experience fewer delays while waiting for weather to clear enough for their flights to land or take off, she says.

Horizon accounts for about 28 percent of the 78 commercial flights that carry 2,000 passengers in and out of the Eugene Airport daily, Noble says. United Airlines is the largest carrier, with about 40 percent of passengers. Delta and America West Airlines carry about 11 percent each.

All United and Horizon aircraft using the Eugene Airport are equipped with Category III gear and are flown by pilots trained to use it, according to airline representatives.

"So many people in Eugene get stuck because of the fog. Having a Category III in a smaller community, having the airport make this kind of investment, is a positive thing," McSkimming says.

With the airport's former Category II system, if visibility on the runway was at least 1,200 feet, pilots were allowed to descend to within 100 feet from the runway. If they could see the runway from 100 feet, they were allowed to land.

The new system operates with only 600 feet of runway visibility and 50 feet of ceiling.

"Everybody wants to land at their destination. Pilots are pretty motivated to complete a flight," says Steve Bush, a technical pilot for Horizon Air who helps develop and test new aircraft gear and navigation equipment.

"With Category III, your chances of actually getting in during foggy conditions are much, much greater," Bush says. "What's nice about this is it is very simple to fly for the pilot. It gives them precision guidance all the way."

The new system is a big step forward, but not the ultimate solution to all fog-caused flight problems, Noble says.

Eugene will have a few days when the fog is too thick for a Category III system landing. Also, not all airplanes are equipped with a head-up display, and not all pilots are trained to use it, Noble says.

"I don't want to paint it as a solution to all situations," Noble says.

The next generation of navigation systems will use forward-looking infrared radar that can see through fog and give pilots an image of buildings, vehicles and other objects at the airport. Future surface guidance systems will lead pilots directly to their gate after landing, Bush says.

"That kind of stuff is still in the experimental stage," Bush says, adding that no one foresees a system to replace a pilot.