As residents heard the sounds of propeller planes on Thursday 15 May, RTL requested explanations from the Ministry of Public Transport.
Several residents living near the airport’s approach path at Findel Airport reported hearing a propeller plane for three hours on Thursday night, according to RTL information.
The airplane that residents heard was a Beech King 350i operated by the company Flight Precision. Flight Precision offers services such as flight inspections, validations, and aerial photography.
Upon further inquiry, the Ministry of Public Transport asserted that the flight on 15 May had been a mandatory check-up and calibration of navigation aids at Findel Airport.
“The navigation aids that were checked are an essential part of air traffic security and they help pilots to land safely in difficult visibility conditions”, the ministry reported. “They need to be controlled regularly as the system can lose its correct calibration as time passes and the environment changes. Certain calibrations can be done from the ground though some of them cannot so control flights need to be carried out regularly. It is an obligation stated in the International Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 10, Volume 1. These check-ups are usually done every six months and can take up to two days”, the Ministry of Public Transport concluded.
Therefore it is probable that residents will again hear propeller planes near Findel Airport at night towards the end of the year, since these recalibrations are necessary to ensure passengers’ safety.