DFS at the AERO Trade Exhibition: ICAO Charts, Aeronautical Information Service and FIS Controllers

Langen, Germany, March 29, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Since 12 March, the new ICAO 1:500 000 charts 2009 for German airspace as well as the associated glider editions have been available. At the DFS stand, visitors can order the ICAO charts and other aeronautical publications directly from the DFS Aviation Shop and save shipping costs.

At the exhibition, pilots can for the first time test the new electronic “Aviator eLogbook”, which allows pilots to document individual flight hours in compliance with the Joint Aviation Requirements of European civil aviation authorities.

AIS officers will explain the AIS Portal, which enables pilots to file their flight plans and flight-plan-associated messages online and to retrieve NOTAM briefings. The “VFReBulletin” will also be presented. It is available online free of charge and provides current NOTAM for VFR flights in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in German, including the graphical display on different charts. A very special service will be offered at the DFS stand to all those who wish to file a flight plan for their return flight or who require a briefing. "We will accept flight plans directly at the exhibition stand, offer briefings and coordinate airport slots," explains AIS officer Sabrina Häfele, who will be present at the DFS stand.

FIS controllers, who provide information and advice via radiotelephony to pilots conducting VFR flights, will be available at the DFS stand for consultation. "To us, it is very important to be in direct contact with the pilots and to correlate the expectations both sides have of each other," explains Herwart Goldbach, head of FIS. Many pilots are not sure in which situations FIS will provide assistance or what to do when establishing contact with FIS. "Better knowledge will improve air safety," summarises Goldbach, himself a pilot with many years of experience.

In future, FIS controllers in the flight information region of Langen will use the radar data display system Phoenix to support pilots in their navigation. "The new system supports the controllers and helps them to provide more specific advice," says Goldbach. "Selected radar plots can be zoomed and the system provides different search functions." At a later stage, it will be possible to have an ICAO chart as background on the screen in addition to the radar display so that the FIS controller has a clear picture of the information relevant to VFR flights, just as the pilot in the air.

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law and has 5,350 employees. DFS ensures the safe and punctual handling of flights. Staff coordinate up to 10,000 aircraft movements in German airspace every day, and more than 3 million movements every year. Germany has the highest traffic volume in Europe. DFS operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich. In addition, DFS staff work in the control towers of the 16 international airports in Germany, as well as at the Eurocontrol Centre in Maastricht, the Netherlands. DFS provides training and consultancy services around the world and develops and sells air traffic control, surveillance and navigation systems. The company's portfolio also comprises flight-relevant data, aeronautical publications and aeronautical information services. DFS has the following business units: Control Centre, Tower, Aeronautical Solutions and Aeronautical Information Management.

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