A planned six-day testing that would cause GPS outages for aircraft above 50 feet was cancelled by the U.S. Navy.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the body that approves submitted GPS outage plans by the military, originally issued a flight advisory for GPS testing that would make GPS signals unreliable, or even unavailable in China Lake, California—near the 1.1 million acre Naval Air Weapon Center.
The original testing dates were June 7, 9, 21, 23, 28 and 30, but all dates have been cancelled.
No additional details for the reason of the initial testing, or for its cancelation were given, but Navy representatives told the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) the reason was "internal."
The AOPA also noted the U.S. Department of Defense conducts about 50 GPS jamming events each year to "train for personnel to operate in an environment where the GPS signal is degraded or unavailable."
"We have asked the military and FAA to be more transparent around planned GPS outages so that civilian pilots can understand the possible impact on their activities and plan their flights accordingly,” Rune Duke, AOPA director of airspace and air traffic, said.
