Falcon 2000LXS performs first European EGNOS LPV200 approach

A Dassault Falcon 2000LXS has become the first aircraft in Europe to fly an EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) LPV200 approach. The flight took place at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.

Under an LPV200 approach, an aircraft can fly an instrument approach down to minima of 200 ft. The system is reliant on GPS (Global Positioning System) and SBAS (Space Based Augmentation System) to perform approaches equivalent to ILS CAT 1, without the need for ground based infrastructure.

“The accuracy and stability of LPV guidance is really amazing, much better than with ILS,” said Jean-Louis Dumas, test pilot, Dassault. “Lowering the minima to 200 ft will be a great boon for European business aviation operations.”

As well as the Falcon 2000LXS, the trials in Paris also used an Airbus A350, and an ATR 72.