Proposed decommissioning of East Sale non-directional beacon

Proposal to decommission the East Sale non-directional beacon (NDB) due to no military requirement for its continued use as a navigation aid for operational or training needs.

The issue

Specific dates for decommissioning have not been determined or proposed.

Purpose

To consult aviation industry stakeholders in relation to the proposed decommissioning of East Sale NDB. 

The East Sale NDB is unreliable, has been unavailable and subject to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a significant period without issue and is nearing or has reached the end of economic life. It has primarily been retained for Department of Defence flying training purposes which is no longer required. 

Decommissioning the NDB will result in the following changes to the Aeronautical Information Package (AIP): 

• removal of the East Sale (YMES) NDB A approach procedure 
• removal of the West Sale (YWSL) NDB-Y RWY 27 approach procedure 
• removal of the WSL NDB-Z RWY 27 approach procedure 
• removal of the YMES DME or GNSS Arrival
• removal of the YWSL DME or GNSS Arrival
• other minor changes to AIP documentation and charts to remove reference to the aid.

Of note, the East Sale NDB forms part of the Backup Navigation Network (BNN). This will require additional consultation with other agencies and stakeholders before the Department of Defence progresses further with any plans to decommission the East Sale NDB.