A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/696483
Many runways in the NAS have not been eligible for instrument approaches with vertical guidance due to the proximity of obstacles and legacy design criteria. The FAA working with industry published new criteria in March 2016 that expands the eligibility of runways and will allow for additional sites to have procedure developed with vertical guidance. The Team is recommendin g that the FAA begin implementation of the new procedures at industry - identified locations. Decision Support Tools Fundamental to the successful implementation and operation of PBN across the NAS is the need to advance the development, deployment, and u se of Time Based Flow Management Decision Support Tools (DSTs) essential to ensuring more efficient traffic flows that fully leverage available system capacity. These merging and spacing tools must be specifically developed to support the PBN operational e nvironment and to enhance traditional controller techniques of vectors, level - offs, and speed assignments for optimizing capacity. The Team is recommending that the FAA prioritize the development and deployment of these capabilities and endorses the curren t FAA plan. National Strategic Production Planning (NSPP) Atlanta and Charlotte Metroplex: March 31, 2016 - published 1 RNAV STAR, canceled 3 RNAV SIDs and 3 RNAV STARS, April 28, 2016 published 1 RNAV STAR, May 26, 2016 published 3 RNAV SIDS and 1RNAV S TAR. Pilot Controller Procedures & Systems Integration (PCPSI) A meeting is scheduled during the week of June 20, 2016, in which the following items will be discussed. • Top Altitude and Climb Maintain clearances - At the Aeronautical Charting Forum (ACF ), NATCA raised concerns that definition contained in the FAA 7110.65 and AIM as now made every SID a Climb Via procedure, which was never the intention. A recommendation has been made to change the definition, therefore allowing Maintain or Climb and Mai ntain clearances to be issued when there are no altitude constraints published at a fix/waypoint. • Charting Complexities • Variables Associated with Procedural Compliance • STAR Runway Transition Guidance – Follow up discussions from the Houston and Oklahoma Ci ty Flight Simulation regarding changing an aircraft's Runway Transition when the aircraft is within 10 miles of or has passed the proposed guidance and procedures • TCAS phraseology – NBAA proposes Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)/Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) Resolution Advisory (RA) phraseology for inclusion in the AIM, and if needed, FAA 7110.65 • STAR Top Altitude Charting - NATCA & AFS - 420 raised concerns at the ACF about only being allowed to publish a maximum of two Top Alti tudes on a SID when those SIDS also cover additional airports and each airport would have the SID published for the airport. A recommendation is to allow more than two Top Altitudes for the additional airports on a SID.