Developed in conjunction with Gatwick Airport, Mirror Technology can offer a low cost, fail safe method for the precision parking of commercial aircraft.

Traditionally marshallers have carried this out; indeed at many airports this remains the most common method of parking aircraft. However with increasing pressure on manpower and shorter turn round times automated systems are now required. Electronic systems are complex and need sophisticated maintenance procedures. Consequently various simpler guidance systems have been developed to provide accurate positional guidance with lower costs and less complexity. Many such methods are in common use but mirrors have the advantage of giving the pilot a true view of his nose wheel approaching the correct stop position.

Maintenance is straightforward with cleaning being required regularly depending on pollution levels. The only other check is alignment and this can be automatic. No doubt pilots will be quick to point out any misalignment! It is worth noting that a mirror system is failsafe. It cannot give a dangerous image; either the wheel is visible or not. Some airports have barriers around the mounting post to help prevent impact damage.

Mirrors provide an excellent method of automatically assisting aircraft parking. Provided care is taken on the initial installation they can give many years of low maintenance service. They are especially suitable for use in airports experiencing expansion with low cost airlines.