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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:16 pm 
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From Inside Costa Rica March 11, 2009.



New Radar and Approach Lights At The Juan Santamaría (San Jose) Airport


It has only been five years, but finally the Juan Santamaría (San Jose) international airport will be getting the badly needed approach lights that will eliminate the many detoured flights common in foggy weather. Rosaura Montero, viceministra de Transportes, confirmed that her ministry will be investing ¢1.5 billion colones for the lights.

The approach lighting system are designed to smooth the transition from instrument to visual flight in conditions of low cloud or reduced visibility. The longitudinal array of lights that spans about 900 metres from the runway provides a lead into the runway centreline, while later bars provide a roll reference.

Pilots, mainly from the US airlines, citing safety concerns, continually refuse to land at night in dense fog or low cloud conditions, which are common in San Jose during the rainy or winter months, causing many flights to be diverted to Liberia or Panama.

The new approach light system will greatly reduce the number of cancelled and divered flights.

The Juan Santamaría has also been operating a new radar control system that allows air traffic controllers at the airport expand their control the skies from San Jose from a 60 mile radius to 212 miles.

The new radar system already in operation ties in with the radar tower in Mata de Caña, in Guanacaste and in Managua and Bluefields, in Nicaragua.

The expanded radar allows controllers to have more information on incoming flights, as well record digitally flight information and conversations. The cost of the new radar system is ¢3 billion colones.

Airport officials reassure that the Juan Santamaría has always been a safe and secure airport, however, with the new radar system and approach lighting, controllers can know more about each airplane in the sky and pilots can know the exact location of the runway in relation to the aircraft, in bad weather.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:30 pm 
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This is great news for everyone. Especially if you've ever been diverted to Liberia and/or Panama City. Nothing worse than being so close to SJO that you could almost smell the chica's, only to be diverted and laid up somewhere else! :wink: It cuts into your (already) limited time in the gulch, and that's unacceptable! Good find ID ! :)

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:42 pm 
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This is good news I spent a night in Managua due to fog at SJO
MG you only got posts 15 to go :D


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:19 pm 
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They finally got started on the installation and are supposed to be done by end of Sep... :)
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For years pilots have had to make the decision to not land at the Juan Santamaría (San José) international airport when weather conditions are less than optimal, especially during the rainy season when heavy fog can affect up to more than 1/3 of the flights coming into the airport.

But, that will all come to an end soon as the Consejo Técnico de Aviación Civil (CTAC) began work on installing the landing light system began yesterday, lights that will give pilots a clearer view of the runway, especially during heavy fog.

The Ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes, Karla González, said that the installation of the lighting system guarantees better security, reduces the cost of operations of the airlines who are forced to increase costs with the detour of flights to other airports and most important the delays experienced by passengers.

The ministra added that the lighting system also improves night take off and landing at the airport.

The approach lighting system at the international airport have been inoperative for years. Pilots have had to constantly decide not to land in San José, choosing the nearby airports in Liberia and Panama, when weather conditions are such that landing becomes risky.

Frequent flyers to Costa Rica will at one time or another have had to circle the air in approach to the airport waiting for weather conditions to improve, while many others have had the experience of ending up in Panama or Liberia, arriving in Costa Rica hours late or the next day.

The new lighting system allows pilots to line the aircraft to the runway even in poor visibility conditions, allowing the landing.

The costs of the system is ¢1.5 billion colones and should be functioning by the end of September

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:19 am 
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I think we all appreciate news like this.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 10:51 am 
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Nhhank wrote:
This is good news I spent a night in Managua due to fog at SJO
MG you only got posts 15 to go :D


At least you got to stay in Managua!! We were sent back to MIA once!! Then back out after a 4 hour layover waiting for a new crew. FUN FUN.

Great news for the late flight on AA out of MIA!!!

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:20 pm 
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Does anybody know if the approach lighting was installed yet, or are we looking at the same timeframe as the highway to Jaco beibg built? :lol:

I am coming in at 6:30pm next week, so I am hoping to avoid being diverted.


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