Southwest Pilots Begin Flying RNP Efficient Procedures At 11 Airports

NEWSROOM


Southwest Pilots Begin Flying RNP Efficient Procedures At 11 Airports By Shane Nolan

		January 13, 2011 - Now ready for departure, Southwest Airlines' Pilots begin Required Navigation Performance (RNP) efficient flight procedures at 11 airports nationwide. This major milestone is to reduce environmental impact with a more efficient operation and to assist the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on NextGen initiatives. It is the culmination of a four-year project with partners Boeing, GE, and Honeywell. RNP is satellite-based navigation that brings together the accuracy of GPS (Global Positioning System), the capabilities of advanced aircraft avionics, and new flight procedures.

"RNP sets the stage for Southwest to continue doing its part to conserve fuel, improve safety, and reduce carbon emissions and Greenhouse gases, while simultaneously taking advantage of the high-performance characteristics that exist in an airline's fleet," said Captain Jeff Martin, Southwest's Vice President of the Operations Coordination Center. "The efficiencies RNP introduces help Southwest be a good neighbor while also maintaining our low fares." GE Aviation?s flight management system TrueCourse is providing the technology to enable Southwest Airlines? pilots to begin flying Required Navigation Performance (RNP). TrueCourse is standard on all Boeing 737 aircraft. RNP is a satellite-based navigation that brings together the accuracy of GPS, the capabilities of advanced aircraft avionics, and new flight procedures. ?TrueCourse enables operators to fly the most efficient RNP operations available,? said Chris Beaufait, president of Avionics for GE Aviation Systems. ?Southwest is well equipped and is positioning to lead the way in the expansive use of these approved routes realizing fuel, emission and noise reductions.? The TrueCourse flight management system controls the aircraft track to an accuracy of 10 meters (33 feet) and the time of arrival to within 10 seconds to any point in the flight plan. Benefits include the ability to fly shorter flight paths and idle-thrust descents which reduces fuel consumption, thereby lowering emissions and community noise levels. Software and hardware updates provide the latest technology to continue to meet the needs of the world?s evolving airspace requirements, offering safe and efficient improvements to aircraft operations and dispatch reliability.

The Southwest Pilots and Dispatchers now follow these new efficient flight procedures and enhanced avionics to fly specifically designed satellite-based navigation approaches to many Southwest airports. The primary airports with efficient RNP procedures include Amarillo, Birmingham, Boise, Corpus Christi*, Los Angeles, Chicago Midway, Oakland, Oklahoma City, West Palm Beach, Raleigh-Durham, and San Jose.

With RNP/NextGen procedures designed at 11 Southwest airports, the Southwest's projected savings is $16 million a year, with an anticipated savings of more than $60 million per year once all Southwest airports have efficient RNP procedures. "RNP is a significant step in the future for the NextGen Air Traffic Control system," said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "This milestone culminates substantial efforts by our Company working with the FAA to position Southwest as a leading participant in a modernized air traffic control system."

In addition to modifying 345 Boeing 737-700s with new flight display software and ensuring that all new aircraft are RNP ready, this cross-company effort involving Technology, Maintenance & Engineering, and the Operations Coordination Center also featured intense training efforts to support achieving this milestone.

		"I am very proud of our Flight Operations Team for the design, training, and implementation of NextGen procedures, including training more than 5,900 Pilots to fly Primary Flight Display Navigation Display (PFD/ND) procedures," said Captain Chuck Magill, Vice President of Flight Operations. "This extensive training allows us to capture RNP procedures as well as provide flexibility in any new aircraft platform we might use in the future." Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded, now serving 69 cities in 35 states. Southwest Airlines is based in Dallas, operates more than 3,100 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide. Other News Stories Gulfstream G650 Marks Aviation History With Flight Control System American Airlines Flight 2253 Runway Overrun Update NTSB Adopts Airbag Study For General Aviation Aircraft Vought Aircraft Machinists Awarded Million In Back Pay Boeing Begins Final Assembly Of The One Thousand B-767 Miami Dade Police Receive Third AS350B3 Eurocopter The Importance Of Properly Inflated Aircraft Tires Evergreen Airlines Pilots Authorize Union To Call Strike Risk Expert To Provide Keynote At Aviation Safety Conference DOT Provides Guidance To Airlines On Code Share Disclosure Requirements ATI Airlines Elects New President UPS Airlines? President Bob Lekites Retiring After 36 Years Of Service Utah Highway Patrol Completes Training In Eurocopter?s AS350 Simulator Passengers Overpowers Hijacker On Turkish Airlines Flight TK1754 Mesaba Airlines Fined For Failing To Provide Wheelchair Services Eurocopter Modernize 36 AS350 Ecureuil Helicopters Royal Australian Air Force Receives Four Boeing Super Hornets Sen. Stevens Plane Crash, NTSB Issues ELT Recommendations Canada Approves G450 And G350 To Operate At 45,000 Feet American Airlines And The Online Travel Agency Debate ARSA Sets Record Straight For Future Of Aviation Advisory Committee Pan American Flight 281 Hijacker Sentenced Northrop Completes Second Flight Test Phase Of The MR-TCDL Relief Flight With Medical Supplies Headed To Pakistan?s Flood Victims SkyWest Purchases Four CRJ700 NextGen Regional Jets FAA Approves ToughWriter Flight Deck Printer On The Boeing 767 Aircraft World Fuel Services Completes Acquisition Of The Hiller Group The Association Of Flight Attendants Has New Leadership FAA Light-Sport Aircraft Safety Seminar-2011 Honda Achieves First Flight Of FAA Conforming HondaJet International Passengers Are Entitled To Compensation For Tarmac Delays Sex Flights Gets Grounded By The Civil Aviation Authority NTSB To Review Emergency Certificate Actions Regulations Russian Jet Burst Into A Ball Of Fire Just Before Takeoff Flight Design Seeking New Representatives To Better Serve Customers Wayne County Airport Saves Millions Trough Bond Refinancing NTSB Update On Jackson Hole B-757 Runway Overrun Incident Passenger Jet Flight 2253 Fails To Stop After Landing