Report Out On FAA And 3RD Party Role In Developing RNAV Procedures

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Report Out On FAA And 3RD Party Role In Developing RNAV Procedures By Daniel Baxter

		December 14, 2010 - On Friday the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector (OIG) issued their report on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of new flight procedures using Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and its use of third parties to develop them. These technologies are key building blocks for the Next Generation Air Transportation System. It will provide shorter and more direct flight paths, improve airport arrival rates, enhanced controller productivity, fuel savings, and reduced aircraft noise. OIG conducted their review at the request of the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, who stated that a clear understanding of third-party roles is needed before they can be expanded.

Overall, OIG found that the role of the two third parties the FAA had approved to develop RNP procedures remains unclear, as well as FAA's strategy for implementing timely, high-value routes using in-house resources. The FAA has also not fully established an oversight program for third parties, defined the staffing levels needed to oversee them, or finalized key guidance to industry on qualifications to become a third-party developer. OIG made eight recommendations to help the FAA effectively implement and coordinate RNAV/RNP procedures and establish an oversight program for third parties. Overall, the FAA's response met the intent of most of their recommendations; however, OIG has requested that FAA provide additional clarifying information for three of them. FAA has clarified its role in developing new RNP procedures, stating that it will primarily rely on its own resources rather than third parties. Therefore, the role of the two third parties FAA has approved to develop RNP procedures remains unclear, as well as FAA’s strategy for implementing timely, high-value routes using in-house resources. Thus far, the FAA has mostly delivered overlays of existing routes that do not provide shorter flight paths to alleviate airspace congestion, a major industry concern. This is because the FAA has mainly focused on developing a targeted number of procedures each year, not measuring user benefits.

As a result, airlines have not widely used the FAA’s RNP procedures and state that third parties may provide additional technical expertise to develop the procedures they need. The FAA contends that it has the technical expertise to deliver more efficient procedures without third parties but has yet to assess its in-house skill mix.

The FAA also has not fully established an oversight program for third parties, defined the staffing levels needed to oversee them, or finalized key guidance to industry on qualifications to become a third-party developer. Such guidance is essential, as third parties would perform procedural development and maintenance functions historically performed solely by FAA.

In 2007, the FAA’s Flight Standards Service established a third party oversight office, but it will be difficult to determine how many staff this office will need until the FAA better defines the extent of third party use. The FAA also faces resistance to the third-party program within its Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Office of Aviation Systems Standards and organizational barriers among various lines of business that could delay new, comprehensive oversight policies.

Thus far, these problems have impeded the FAA’s ability to oversee its own procedures, which raises questions as to how effectively the FAA can monitor third parties. Without a coordinated oversight system in place, the potential for operational and safety risks increases. OIG is making a series of recommendations to help the FAA effectively implement and coordinate RNAV/RNP procedures and establish an oversight program for third parties.

NextGen will rely on new routes and procedures that primarily use satellite-based navigation and on-board aircraft equipment to navigate with greater precision and accuracy. These new routes and procedures are commonly referred to as RNAV and RNP. For RNAV, pilots can use a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) and other self-contained systems on-board aircraft to fly any desired flight path by reducing the limitations imposed by ground-based navigation systems.

RNP is a form of RNAV that adds monitoring and alerting capabilities to the cockpit to alert the pilot when the aircraft cannot meet specified navigation performance requirements. RNP has the potential to allow more “lanes” or routes in the same airspace, creating additional capacity where needed.

Traditionally, aircraft have been required to fly routes between ground-based navigational aids to maintain required navigation accuracy of on-board systems. RNAV and RNP can increase airspace efficiency by providing more direct paths (see figure below), thereby improving airport arrival rates, enhancing controller productivity, saving fuel, and reducing aircraft noise.

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