Ground Proximity Warning System

The aim of the system is to give visual and audible warning signals to a pilot when the aircraft’s
proximity to the terrain poses a potential threat to its safety

The system operates between 50’ and 2450’ actual height above the surface and automatically
selects the correct mode of operation

Definitions

ALERT: A caution generated by the EGPWS equipment.

WARNING: A command generated by the EGPWS equipment.

MODE 1 - Excessive Barometric Descent Rate

AURAL ALERT - SINK RATE, SINK RATE

AURAL WARNING - ‘WHOOP WHOOP PULL UP’ until the rate of descent has been corrected.

VISUAL - PULL UP

MODE 2 - Excessive Terrain Closure Rate

Mode 2 monitors Mach number, radio altitude rate of change, barometric altitude and

aircraft configuration.
AURAL ALERT - ‘TERRAIN, TERRAIN’

AURAL WARNING - ‘WHOOP WHOOP PULL UP’

VISUAL - PULL UP

MODE 3 - Altitude Loss after Take-off or Go-around

Mode 3 provides an alert if a descent is made during initial climb or go-around.

Mode 3 does not arm during the descent until below 200 feet radio altitude.

AURAL ALERT - ”DON’T SINK”

VISUAL - PULL UP

MODE 4A - Unsafe Terrain Clearance with Landing Gear Not down

The terrain clearance mode, with gear retracted, is armed after take-off upon climbing through 700
feet radio altitude

AURAL ALERT -”TOO LOW GEAR” or “TOO LOW TERRAIN”

VISUAL - PULL UP

MODE 4B - Unsafe Terrain Clearance with Flaps Not in Landing Configuration

This mode provides an alert when the gear is down and the flaps are not in the landing position.

AURAL ALERT - ”TOO LOW FLAPS” or “TOO LOW TERRAIN”

VISUAL - PULL UP

MODE 5 - Below Glide Slope Deviation Alert

This mode alerts the flight crew of a descent of more than 1.3 dots below an ILS glide slope.

. The mode is armed when a valid signal is being received by the glide slope receiver, gear is down
and the radio altitude is 1000 feet or less.

The mode may be cancelled or inhibited by pressing either pilot’s BELOW G/S light while below 1000
feet radio altitude.

AURAL ALERT - “GLIDE SLOPE”

VISUAL - BELOW G/S P TO INHIBIT

MODE 6A - Below Selected Minimum Radio Altitude

Mode 6A provides an aural alert if a descent is made below the minimum decision altitude cursor in
the radio altimeter. This mode operates between 50 and 1000 feet of radio altitude

This alert is aural only and consists of “MINIMUMS, MINIMUMS” sounded once.

MODE 6B Altitude Call-outs and Bank Angle Alert

Call-outs of selected altitudes and minimums is available. The call-outs used are a customer option
but for example may consist of calls at 200 ft and 100 ft to decision height, or absolute height call-
outs from the radio altimeter with respect to the ground

6B “BANK ANGLE” can be used to alert crews of excessive roll angles. The bank angles are not an
aircraft manoeuvre limit, but rather a limitation decided upon by the airline

MODE 7 Windshear Alerting

Mode 7 warnings take priority over all other modes

Visual and aural windshear warnings are given when several parameters such as ground speed,
airspeed, barometric height and rate of descent and radio altitude, indicate the initial conditions of
entering an area of windshear.

Again as with the terrain threat display there is no scanning beam looking ahead to avoid the
condition entirely. Rather the benefit from the system is derived from the fact that it allows the pilot
to initiate the windshear go-around procedure earlier, giving the aircraft a greater probability of
avoiding an accident.

Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)