Photo: Test flights draw attention in Iqaluit

Seen this airplane flying around Iqaluit? That’s Nav Canada’s airplane testing out Iqaluit airport’s new instrument landing system on Sept. 4. The system transmits signals from the ground to an aircraft trying to land through heavy weather, like fog. “It just kind of guides them down closer to the ground until they have to make a decision on whether or not they can see the airport and land,” said airport director John Hawkins. The old instrument landing system has been been turned off since July, and Nav Canada’s airplane looped around to check the new system “to make sure it’s calibrated.” Nav Canada, a private not-for-profit company, pays for the new system through aviation fees you pay when buying a seat for a flight. The Dash-8 started around flying days ago, said Hawkins, and its test flights might last a little while longer because there’s still “tweaking” to do. “It just keeps coming around, and around, and around,” Hawkins said. (PHOTO BY DAVID MURPHY)