Navigation Services
NAS Implementation - Procedures Instrument Procedures Development New procedures and criteria to exploit the full potential of increased PVT accuracy inherent in satellite-based navigation systems are being developed. These procedures and criteria include specifications for the development of GPS instrument operations for both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Examples of such activities include GPS airport surveys; flight inspection hardware and software for both fixed-wing and helicopter operations; development of national databases for approach procedure tracking and receiver Navcard generation; and development of standardized Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) procedures for all GPS approaches and IFR departure operations. To date there have been thousands of GPS procedures developed, with a large portion providing new GPS capability. The FAA has identified runway ends for which satellite-based approaches will be developed using a combination of GPS, WAAS, and LAAS procedures. Procedure development includes meeting survey requirements, eveloping procedures, conducting flight inspections, environmental surveys, official rule-making, and designing and publishing charts. There are five principal satellite navigation procedure types planned for development over the next several years:
TERPS procedures are complete for LNAV/VNAV and LNAV. Procedures are being developed and flight inspectioned for NAV/VNAV and LNAV. TERPS procedures are not yet developed for LPV. The goal is to complete LPV TERPS and complete as many as 50 LPV procedures and flight inspections by WAAS commissioning. It is important to note that as far as possible LNAV/VNAV, LNAV, and PV procedures and associated flight inspections are performed at the same time. The general process for procedure development is as follows:
For more information on related topics, visit the following websites: TERPS Data Collection The Flight Procedure Standards Branch (AFS-420) is developing the terminal instrument procedures (TERPS) criteria at the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, OK. They have the responsibility to establish the operational and technical standards for developing, coordinating, and publishing instrument flight procedure design criteria and establishing criteria implementation policy for all phases of flight. Data collection is an important part of this effort with flight testing efforts. Decisions concerning the appropriate avionics suites used are based on the RTCA Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) status and hardware availability. Flight-testing will result in the collection of standardized data. Data collection is accomplished at the following locations after well-structured flight test plans have been coordinated with AFS-420:
The objective of TERPS Data Collection is to:
FAA Order 8260.48 the initial criteria for developing WAAS, LNAV/VNAV, and RNAV instrument approach procedures was signed on April 8, 1999. Since then numerous updated orders have been published to take advantage of system changes and evolving RNAV concepts. You can view a list of FAA Flight Procedure Standards Branch orders / notices. Surveys Geodetic surveys and airport standards have been significantly impacted by the advent of satellite navigation. For the first time in history, the movement of aircraft does not need to be restricted by ground-based navigation aids. However, with this new freedom comes the need to have a very accurate representation of the airport surfaces and obstructions based on the same coordinate system used by GPS. GPS is based on World Geodetic System (WGS)-84 standards. The FAA, in conjunction with the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), is engaged in a major effort to bring airports into compliance with the WGS-84 survey standards. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has been supporting the aviation community for over 50 years in providing accurate coordinates to the National Airspace System (NAS). NGS established and maintains the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), a consistent national coordinate system that defines latitude, longitude, height, and orientation throughout the nation. This reference system is essential for ensuring the reliability of consistent coordinates as the NAS moves to a navigation system utilizing coordinates. NGS is working with the FAA and private survey firms to provide positional, height, and orientation information for airport runways, navigational aids and obstructions required for GPS instrument approach development. NGS has also developed standards and general specifications for conducting these surveys. Under an agreement with the NGS, the aeronautical survey program has completed hundreds of area navigation approach (ANA) aeronautical surveys. This data is critical to the FAA in assisting FAA procedure specialists in the design of GPS-based instrument approach procedures for use in the NAS. These procedures include accurate determinations of the instrument approach weather minimums and obstacle clearance information for specific runways. Airport survey production is divided into the following phases:
Phase II
Phase III
Types of surveys:
For more information on related topics, visit the following websites: For more information on related topics, download the following pdf files: |
