While preparing for a recent flight, COPA
staff member Adam Hunt happened to see a NOTAM amongst the myriad of NOTAMs for
the Toronto FIR that highlighted a planned GPS jamming exercise at Canadian
Forces Base Petawawa, near Ottawa. Adam is a very conscientious pilot and always
checks ALL of the NOTAMs, including the more obscure and sometimes difficult to
decipher FIR NOTAMs. It is very likely that a significant number of pilots did
not see that NOTAM, relied on their GPS as a sole source of navigation and were
surprised when it went off the air.
In a strongly worded communiqué to the Department of National Defence, NAV
CANADA and Transport Canada, COPA President Kevin Psutka questioned the need to
actually jam versus simulate jamming and also questioned why the goals of the
exercise cannot be achieved by performing it in a remote area of the country.
Deliberate jamming of the GPS signal over such a large area (out to 250 nm) and
in a location that will effect a vast area of some of the busiest airspace in
North America is just not acceptable and Psutka illustrated his point with some
statistics. About a year ago COPA surveyed our membership regarding their use of
GPS. We found that 68% had either a panel-mounted or handheld GPS and that 30%
of those who did not have a GPS were planning to do so in the next year. This
survey was examined against the Transport Canada pilot statistics in key areas
and it was determined that the statistics from our survey are representative of
the pilot population as a whole. So, a conservative estimate of the percentage
of Canadian pilots using GPS now is 75%. The NOTAM states that jamming will
occur as far as 250 nm. This encompasses western Quebec as far as Quebec City
and Montreal, portions of the States of Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania and
most of southern Ontario including London, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, North Bay
and Sudbury.
The vast majority of pilots and aircraft in Ontario and Quebec are located in
the effected area. According to Transport Canada statistics, of the 65,000
licences and permits in force in Canada, 38,000 are in Quebec and Ontario. Given
our survey results, there are 28,500 people in the affected area in Canada who
use GPS and could miss the NOTAM and mistakenly follow a jammed GPS signal. I
cannot estimate the number of pilots affected south of the border, but given the
concentration of pilots in the north east of the US, it is easily tens times
this number.
The civil aircraft register web site was not available at the time that this
message was developed but we know from our past studies that the number of
aircraft closely parallels the distribution of pilots. So, of the 29,000
aircraft in Canada, there are approximately 12,700 aircraft equipped with a
handheld or panel-mounted GPS in the affected area in Canada alone.
Of course, the majority of the pilots mentioned above are not instrument rated
and COPA appreciates that GPS is supposed to be an aid rather than a primary
means of navigation for VFR flight. However, if there is any way that deliberate
jamming can be prevented or at least minimized, the safety of these users will
not be degraded. Psutka suggested several measures to help mitigate the risk
from the deliberate jamming, such as only conducting the test during VFR weather
conditions, but the authorities decided to proceed anyway, on the basis that
they thought it was safe and they had the right to do so. After all, it is a
military system and we should be greatful that we are able to use it at all.
COPA has requested that the issue of GPS signal jamming be added to the agendas
of the next ANSNAC and Part VIII CARAC meetings so that solutions can be found
for a safer way to perform these exercises and notify affected people. In the
meantime, please take this report as an example of why you should always check
all NOTAMs before every flight and not to depend on GPS as your sole source of
navigation. You may be surprised at the worst possible time in your flight.
Contact Kevin Psutka.