Seatac Testing Site For New Bad-Weather Landing System

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of 26 sites testing a new landing system that would allow planes to arrive on time despite bad weather.

The Microwave Landing System (MLS), which cost roughly $1 million to install, uses radio technology to help planes navigate a landing in inclement conditions.

It works by pointing microwave-frequency radio signals to receivers on board planes. The signals create an electronic path for the pilots arriving from the north during foul weather.

The precision of the new equipment allows a second line of aircraft, parallel to the first, to approach simultaneously, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Dick Meyer said.

The MLS was approved last year by Congress and commissioned by the FAA.

The only airline to equip its planes with MLS receivers has been Horizon Air. The FAA will monitor the airline during the five-year demonstration project and evaluate the technology under foul-weather landings, Meyer said.