The FAA is proposing numerous revisions to instrument flight rules and procedures to reflect technological advances intended to “facilitate the transition from ground-based navigation to new reference sources,” principally GPS and enhanced vision systems. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) cuts a 60-page swath through the Federal Register, affecting Parts 1, 71, 91, 95, 97, 121, 125, 129 and 135.
The changes proposed in this NPRM would “facilitate the use of Rnav throughout all phases of flight (departure, en route and approach), which is a goal of the Free Flight program,” the agency said. Free Flight is designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System by moving it from a centralized command-and-control system between pilots and ATC to a system that allows pilots, whenever practical, to choose their own routes and file flight plans that follow the most efficient and economical routes. Adopting the proposed changes, the FAA maintains, would result in “greater flexibility in air traffic routing, instrument approach procedure design and airspace use than is now possible under a ground-based system structure.”
This proposal is also part of a continuing effort to recognize the advent of new technologies and international efforts to create a seamless ATC system by making the terms used in the FAA’s regulations consistent with those used by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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