Professional Pilot, October 2019
Comparison of different types of navigational procedures during approach and landing Current routes RNAV RNP in the Denver area which has translated to signifi cant fuel savings at the hands of these procedures Jet Blue estimates 5000 savings each time it uses RNP approaches to Long Beach and Canadian airline WestJet estimates it saves almost 300000 liters of fuel each year at two airports at which it uses RNP Although these airlines are AR users expect similar improvements to be available to a broader scope of clientele thanks to A RNP Optimized RNP Forthcoming enhancements include optimized RNP which will utilize features such as Time of Arrival Control TOAC operations Part of Trajectory Based Operations TBO 4 dimensional aircraft trajectories will be projected 70 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2019 Waypoints and utilized for optimal spacing and routing of traffi c both enroute and in terminal environments TOAC specifi es a time frame in seconds or minutes in which aircraft must pass over a specifi c waypoint For a long time there has been a discussion of pilot based separation particularly in remote and oceanic environments which could come closer to reality due to things such as TOAC and other RNP and A RNP capabilities While initially some A RNP users will have to manually fl y certain portions of procedures using radius to fi x RF ie curved paths it is envisioned that eventually all aircraft will be able to fl y such legs coupled to an autopilot Lastly improved optimized descents will take advantage of RNP vertical profi les coupled with other features such as TOAC to minimize unnecessary step downs Conclusion As RNP continues to move toward taking center stage for aerospace navigation pilots can expect more procedures becoming available to them Soon RNP circuitous approaches and effi cient terminal procedures will become accessible to a broader aviation audience A RNP not only has the capability of assisting stakeholders make better use of their time and money it will also greatly enhance the capabilities of air traffi c control including a drastic reduction in voice communications and enhanced fl ightpath management With features such as TOAC being applied system wide aircraft could potentially avoid holding and other types of delay As the number of GPS approaches has grown exponentially providing access to airports that were formerly VFR only exciting things lie ahead for the application of RNP to existing and currently uncharted airports David Ison PhD has 32 years of experi ence fl ying aircraft ranging from light singles to widebody jets Currently he is a graduate school professor at North Central University Differences in navigation types Limited design fl exibility Increased airspace effi ciency Optimized use of airspace Current ground NAVAIDs Curved paths RNAV RNP OPTIMIZED RNP RADAR
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.
