The airspace is changing dramatically between now and 2020, and operators need to prepare not only for equipment requirements but also for the associated training and regulatory requirements that vary internationally, Bombardier Business Aircraft customer pilots advised on Tuesday at the company's Safety Standdown in Wichita.
“This is unprecedented...in terms of the volume of change,” said Franco Pietracupa, the chief customer liaison pilot for Bombardier Business Aircraft Customer Services. “Things are evolving.” He identified the key changes as the movement from ground- to satellite-based navigation and from voice to data communications.
KC Carlson, a Bombardier Business Aircraft customer liaison pilot for the Learjet series, outlined the numerous benefits from these changes, including more efficient operations and reduced pilot and controller workloads.
But with this comes an array of new requirements, from FANS-1/A that is being phased in with a mandate over the North Atlantic for operations at FL290 and above beginning Jan. 30, 2020; to ATN B1 (formerly referred to as Link 2000+) that will be required in European airspace for both forward and younger retrofitted aircraft on Feb. 5, 2020; to ADS-B that is already required in some parts of the world but will be mandated in controlled U.S. airspace on Jan. 1, 2020 and June 7, 2020 in Europe for new and retrofit aircraft. Adding to this are emerging procedures such as required navigation performance (RNP).
“This is some of what’s happening out there,” he said. Some of these mandates might appear optional. But Pietracupa cautioned that even though one region might not require certain equipage, another region could. “Be careful on 'optional,'” he said. “If you are flying any kind of long-range aircraft, oceanic aircraft, you are just not going to get away from it.”
Operators are “getting hammered right now” with all the associated changes, equipment requirements and Service Bulletins, he said. These Bombardier pilots emphasized the importance of placing focus not only on the requirements, but also on the associated training and standard operating procedures.
Varied Standards
The requirements do not necessarily line up between the global regions, they caution. A letter of authorization (LOA) is not required by the European Aviation Safety Agency or Transport Canada for ATN B1, but it is by the FAA. All three regulatory agencies, however, currently require LOAs for FANS-1/A. Training, and SOP/airplane flight manual approvals are required for both systems.
The FANS-1/A overlaps with ATN B1 in some of the technical capabilities, but uses both VHF and satcom (ATN B1 does not have satcom), ADS-B and has increased messaging capabilities and flight management system interface, among other differences. ATN B1 and FANS-1/A do not work together, he said, adding operators have to log off one and onto the other. The exemptions—including ability to use FANS-1/A in lieu of ATN B1—have evolved, and the implementation varies by system in Europe.
He also pointed to the evolution of U.S. ADS-B Out requirements. The Jan. 1, 2020 mandate is not changing, Pietracupa said, but incorporating ADS-B once required an LOA. That is no longer necessary. Also the technical standards are advancing—Europe and the U.S. are moving toward a DO-260B standard for ADS-B, Pietracupa added.
In addition, procedures are rapidly changing with the introduction of performance-based navigation that enables much more direct routing and curved approaches with RNP. This has demonstrated significant efficiencies, but also comes with training and operational approval requirements. One operator attending the Safety Standdown noted that they had to conduct 100 approaches demonstrating RNP AR before getting the sign-off from the FAA.
