(a) The MLS facility must be permanent and must be located, constructed, and installed in accordance with best commercial engineering practices, using applicable electric and safety codes and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing requirements and siting requirements of §§171.313(b) and 171.317(b).

(b) The MLS facility components must utilize solid state technology except that traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTA) may be used. A maximum level of common modularity must be provided along with diagnostics to facilitate maintenance and troubleshooting.

(c) An approved monitoring capability must be provided which indicates the status of the equipment at the site and at a remotely located maintenance area, with monitor capability that provides pre-alarm of impending system failures. This monitoring feature must be capable of transmitting the status and pre-alarm over standard phone lines to a remote section. In the event the sponsor requests the FAA to assume ownership of the facility, the monitoring feature must also be capable of interfacing with FAA remote monitoring requirements. This requirement may be complied with by the addition of optional software and/or hardware in space provided in the original equipment.

(d) The mean corrective maintenance time of the MLS equipment must be equal to or less than 0.5 hours with a maximum corrective maintenance time not to exceed 1.5 hours. This measure applies to correction of unscheduled failures of the monitor, transmitter and associated antenna assemblies, limited to unscheduled outage and out of tolerance conditions.

(e) The mean-time-between-failures of the MLS angle system must not be less than 1,500 hours. This measure applies to unscheduled outage, out-of-tolerance conditions, and failures of the monitor, transmitter, and associated antenna assemblies.

(f) The MLS facility must have a reliable source of suitable primary power, either from a power distribution system or locally generated. Adequate power capacity must be provided for the operation of the MLS as well as the test and working equipment of the MLS.

(g) The MLS facility must have a continuously engaged or floating battery power source for the continued normal operation of the ground station operation if the primary power fails. A trickle charge must be supplied to recharge the batteries during the period of available primary power. Upon loss and subsequent restoration of power, the battery must be restored to full charge within 24 hours. When primary power is applied, the state of the battery charge must not affect the operation of the MLS ground station. The battery must allow continuation of normal operation of the MLS facility for at least 2 hours without the use of additional sources of power. When the system is operating from the battery supply without prime power, the radome deicers and the environmental system need not operate. The equipment must meet all specification requirements with or without batteries installed.

(h) There must be a means for determining, from the ground, the performance of the system including antenna, both initially and periodically.

(i) The facility must have, or be supplemented by, ground, air, or landline communications services. At facilities within or immediately adjacent to controlled airspace, that are intended for use as instrument approach aids for an airport, there must be ground air communications or reliable communications (at least a landline telephone) from the airport to the nearest FAA air traffic control or communication facility. Compliance with this paragraph need not be shown at airports where an adjacent FAA facility can communicate with aircraft on the ground at the airport and during the entire proposed instrument approach procedure. In addition, at low traffic density airports within or immediately adjacent to controlled airspace, and where extensive delays are not a factor, the requirements of this paragraph may be reduced to reliable communications from the airport to the nearest FAA air traffic control or communications facility. If the adjacent FAA facility can communicate with aircraft during the proposed instrument approach procedure down to the airport surface or at least down to the minimum en route altitude, this would require at least a landline telephone.

(j) The location of the phase center for all antennas must be clearly marked on the antenna enclosures.

(k) The latitude, longitude and mean sea level elevation of all MLS antennas, runway threshold and runway stop end must be determined by survey with an accuracy of ±3 meters (±10 feet) laterally and ±0.3 meter (±1.0 foot) vertically. The relative lateral and vertical offsets of all antenna phase centers, and both runway ends must be determined with an accuracy of ±0.3 meter (±1.0 foot) laterally and ±0.03 meter (±0.1 foot) vertically. The owner must bear all costs of the survey. The results of this survey must be included in the “operations and maintenance” manual required by section 171.325 of this subpart and will be noted on FAA Form 198 required by §171.327.

[Doc. No. 20669, 51 FR 33177, Sept. 18, 1986, as amended by Amdt. 171-16, 56 FR 65665, Dec. 17, 1991]