MINIMUM NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE

SPECIFICATION AIRSPACE

(MNPS)

GENERAL

CONTINUING GROWTH OF AVIATION PLACES INCREASING DEMANDS ON AIR SPACE CAPACITY AND EMPHASIZES NEED FOR OPTIMUM UTILIZATION

CONCEPT

• THE CONCEPT OF MNPS WAS PROPOSED ON A WORLDWIDE BASIS AT THE ICAO 9th AIR NAVIGATION CONFERENCE (1976)

• REQUIRED NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE (RNP) AS A CONCEPT APPLIES TO NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE WITHIN AN AIRSPACE AND THEREFORE AFFECT BOTH THE AIRSPACE AND AIRCRAFT

OBJECTIVE

TO ENSURE SAFE SEPARATION OF AIRCRAFT AND ENABLE OPERATORS TO DERIVE MAXIMUM ECONOMIC BENEFIT FROM IMPROVEMENT IN NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE DEMONSTRATED IN RECENT YEARS

WHY RNAV ?APPLICATION OF RNAV TECHNIQUES HASSHOWN TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OFADVANTAGES OVER CONVENTIONAL FORMSOF NAVIGATION:

• ESTABLISHMENT OF MORE DIRECT ROUTES PERMITTING A REDUCTION IN FLIGHT DISTANCES;

• ESTABLISHMENT OF DUAL OR PARALLEL ROUTES TO ACCOMMODATE A GREATER FLOW OF EN-ROUTE TRAFFIC;

Contd.

• ESTABLISHMENT OF BYPASS ROUTES FOR AIRCRAFT OVERFLYING HIGH-DENSITY TERMINAL AREAS;

• ESTABLISHMENT OF ALTERNATIVES OR CONTINGENCY ROUTES ON EITHER A PLANNED OR AN AD HOC BASIS;

• ESTABLISHMENT OF OPTIMUM LOCATIONS FOR HOLDING PATTERNS; AND

• REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF GROUND NAVIGATION FACILITIES.

DEFINING RNP AIRSPACE

RNP MAY BE SPECIFIED FOR A ROUTE, ANUMBER OF ROUTES, AN AREA, VOLUME OFAIRSPACE OR ANY AIRSPACE OF DEFINEDDIMENSIONS WHICH AN AIRSPACE PLANNEROR AUTHORITY CHOOSES. POTENTIALAPPLICATION OF RNP INCLUDE

• A DEFINED AIRSPACE, SUCH A NORTH ATLANTIC MINIMUM NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS (MNPS)AIRSPACE;

• A FIXED ATS ROUTE, SUCH AS BETWEEN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA AND AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND;

• RANDOM TRACK OPERATIONS, SUCH AS BETWEEN HAWAII AND JAPAN; AND

• A VOLUME OF AIRSPACE, SUCH AS A BLOCK ALTITUDE ON A SPECIFIED ROUTE.

RNP TYPE

RNP TYPE IS INTENDED TO CHARACTERIZE AN AIRSPACE THROUGH A STATEMENT OF THE ACHIEVED NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE ACCURACY (RNP TYPE) TO BE ACHIEVED WITHIN THE AIRSPACE

NAVIGATION PERFORMANCEACCURACY

BASED ON A NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE ACCURACY VALUE WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE ACHIEVED ATLEAST 95 PERCENT OF THE TIME BY THE POPULATION OF AIRCRAFT OPERATING WITHIN THE AIRSPACE

RNP TYPES(GENERAL APPLICATION)

RNP TYPEACCURACY

1 4 12.6 2095 PERCENTPOSITION

+ 1.85 KM + 7.4 KM + 23.3 KM + 37 KM

ACCURACY IN THEDESIGNATEDAIRSPACE

(+ 1.0 NM) (+ 4.0 NM) (+ 12.6 NM) (+ 20.0 NM)

RELATION OF RNP TO SEPARATION MINIMA

• RNP IS A NAVIGATION REQUIREMENT

• RNP IS ONLY ONE OF THE FACTORS TO BE USED IN THE DETERMINATION OF REQUIRED SEPARATION MINIMA

• RNP ALONE CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT IMPLY OR EXPRESS ANY SEPARATION STANDARD OR MINIMA

• STATE TO CONSIDER THE AIRSPACE INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH INCLUDES SURVEILLANCE AND COMMUNICATION

RNP SERVICE PROVISION

• STATE MUST ENSURE THAT SERVICES PROVIDE SAFE SEPARATION FOR A DEFINED SET OF SEPARATION STANDARDS

• AIRCRAFT OPERATOR MUST ENSURE THAT AIRCRAFT INTENDING TO OPERATE IN A SPECIFIED RNP AIRSPACE IS EQUIPPED TO ACHIEVE THE REQUIRED NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE

NAT - MNPS AIRSPACE• BETWEEN LATITUDES 27o N AND 67o N• EASTERN BOUNDRIES OF SANTA MARIA

OCEANIC, AND REYKJAVIK FIR• WESTERN BOUNDRIES OF REYKJAVIK AND

GANDER OCEANIC FIR AND NEW YORK OCEANIC FIR EAST OF LONGITUDE 60o N

• BETWEEN FL 275 & FL 400• IN 1978 LATERAL SEPARATION OF AIRCRAFT

REDUCED FROM 120 NM TO 60 NM & 2000 FOOT VERTICAL SEPARATION RETAINED

OPERATING REQUIREMENTS(NAT - MNPS)

AS ESTABLISHED BY ICAO:

• ALL OPERATORS DESIRING TO OPERATE MUST SHOW THAT NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES ARE CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUSLY COMPLYING WITH SPECIFICATIONS

• MINIMUM NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS REQUIRED

– STANDARD DEVIATION (ONE SIGMA) OF LATERAL TRACK SHOULD BE LESS THAN 6.3 NM

Contd.

– PROPOTION OF TOTAL TIME SPENT BY AIRCRAFT 30 NM OR MORE OFF TRACK SHOULD BE LESS THAN 1 HOUR IN 1900 HRS.

– PROPOTION OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME SPENT BY AIRCRAFT BETWEEN 50 NM AND 70 NM SHOULD BE LESS THAN 1 HOUR IN 8000 HOURS

– IF INFLIGHT EQUIPMENT UNSERVICEABILITY REDUCES NAVIGATION CAPABILITY, ATC SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY ADVISED

OPERATIONAL APPROVAL (NAT - MNPS)

• CERTIFIED OPERATOR SHOULD CONTACT OFFICE MINIMUM OF 30 DAYS PRIOR TO START

• NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT UTILIZED AND ASSOCIATED OPERATING PROCEDURES ARE THE CHOICE OF OPERATOR

• COMBINATION OF EQUIPMENT AND METHOD OF OPERATION MUST MEET THE NAVIGATION ACCURACY ESTABLISHED BY ICAO

AIRBORNE NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT

ECOMPASSES:• SYSTEMS WHICH USE EXTERNAL

NAVIGATION AIDS SUCH AS VOR/DME, DME/DME, GNSS, OMEGA/VLF, LORAN - C; AND

• SYSTEMS WHICH ARE SELF CONTAINED eg. INS /IRS or GPS

EQUIPMENT APPORVAL

• AIRWORTHINESS AND OPERATIONAL APPROVAL OF EQUIPMENT RESTS WITH NATIONAL AVIATION AUTHORITIES

• STATES MAY NEED TO AMEND LEGISLATION TO REFLECT USE OF APPROVED RNAV EQUIPMENT IN RNP AIRSPACE

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

RESPONSIBILITY OF STATE AUTHORITY TO ENSURE ADEQUATE TRAINING OF FLIGHT CREW AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

FLIGHT CREW TRAININGTHE TRAINING SHOULD ENSURE THAT

FLIGHT CREWS:• HAVE A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE

APPLICATION OF RNP;• HAVE A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF

THE EQUIPMENT;• ARE AWARE OF ITS LIMITATIONS;

Contd.

• HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN THE OPERATING PROCEDURES AND SAFEGUARDS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY AND MAINTENANCE OF REQUIRED NAVIGATIONAL ACCURACY;

• ARE IN CURRENT PRACTICE AND HAVE RECEIVED RECENT TRAINING ON THE EQUIPMENT;

• APPRECIATE THE NEED TO ADVISE ATC SHOULD THE ACCURACY OF THEIR NAVIGATION BE IN DOUBT; AND

• ARE CONVERSANT WITH CONTINGENCY PROCEDURES.

ATC TRAININGATC TRAINING SHOULD PROVIDE FOR:• POTENTIALLY DIFFERENT RNP TYPE

ROUTES IN THE SAME SECTOR;• TRANSITION BETWEEN DIFFERENT RNP

TYPE AREAS;• RADIOTELEPHONY (RTF) PROCEDURES;• REVISED MILITARY/CIVIL COORDINATION

PROCEDURES;• CONFLICT PREDICTION AND RESOLUTION

ALONG UNPUBLISHED TRACKS; AND• REVISED CONTIGENCY PROCEDURES.