Easy Access Rules for Air Operations

ED Decision 2023/007/R

DETERMINATION OF RVR OR VIS FOR INSTRUMENT APPROACH OPERATIONS — AEROPLANES

(a)The RVR or VIS for straight-in instrument approach operations should be not less than the greatest of:

(1)the minimum RVR or VIS for the type of runway used according to Table 8;

(2)the minimum RVR determined according to the MDH or DH and class of lighting facility according to Table 9; or

(3)the minimum RVR according to the visual and non-visual aids and on-board equipment used according to Table 10.

If the value determined in (1) is a VIS, then the result is a minimum VIS. In all other cases, the result is a minimum RVR.

(b)For Category A and B aeroplanes, if the RVR or VIS determined in accordance with (a) is greater than 1 500 m, then 1 500 m should be used.

(c)If the approach is flown with a level flight segment at or above the MDA/H, then 200 m should be added to the RVR calculated in accordance with (a) and (b) for Category A and B aeroplanes and 400 m for Category C and D aeroplanes.

(d)The visual aids should comprise standard runway day markings, runway edge lights, threshold lights, runway end lights and approach lights as defined in Table 11.

Table 8

Type of runway versus minimum RVR or VIS — aeroplanes

Table 9

RVR versus DH/MDH — aeroplanes

Table 10

Visual and non-visual aids and/or on-board equipment versus minimum RVR — aeroplanes

Table 11

Approach lighting systems — aeroplanes

(e)For night operations or for any operation where credit for visual aids is required, the lights should be on and serviceable except as provided for in Table 17.

(f)Where any visual or non-visual aid specified for the approach and assumed to be available in the determination of operating minima is unavailable, revised operating minima will need to be determined.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

DETERMINATION OF RVR OR VIS FOR INSTRUMENT APPROACH OPERATIONS — HELICOPTERS

The RVR/VIS minima for Type A instrument approach and Type B CAT I instrument approach operations should be determined as follows:

(a)For IFR operations, the RVR or VIS should not be less than the greatest of:

(1)the minimum RVR or VIS for the type of runway/FATO used according to Table 12;

(2)the minimum RVR determined according to the MDH or DH and class of lighting facility according to Table 13; or

(3)for PinS operations with instructions to ‘proceed visually’, the distance between the MAPt of the PinS and the FATO or its approach light system.

If the value determined in (1) is a VIS, then the result is a minimum VIS. In all other cases, the result is a minimum RVR.

(b)For PinS operations with instructions to ‘proceed VFR’, the VIS should be compatible with visual flight rules.

(c)For Type A instrument approaches where the MAPt is within ½ NM of the landing threshold, the approach minima specified for FALS may be used regardless of the length of the approach lights available. However, FATO/runway edge lights, threshold lights, end lights and FATO/runway markings are still required.

(d)An RVR of less than 800 m should not be used except when using a suitable autopilot coupled to an ILS, an MLS, a GLS or LPV, in which case normal minima apply.

(e)For night operations, ground lights should be available to illuminate the FATO/runway and any obstacles.

(f)The visual aids should comprise standard runway day markings, runway edge lights, threshold lights and runway end lights and approach lights as specified in Table 14.

(g)For night operations or for any operation where credit for runway and approach lights as defined in Table 14 is required, the lights should be on and serviceable except as defined in Table 17.

Table 12

Type of runway/FATO versus minimum RVR — helicopters

Table 13

Onshore helicopter instrument approach minima

*Minima on 2D approach operations should be no lower than 800 m.

Table 14

Approach lighting systems — helicopters

ED Decision 2022/012/R

CIRCLING OPERATIONS — AEROPLANES

(a)Circling minima

The following standards should apply for establishing circling minima for operations with aeroplanes:

(1)the MDH for circling operation should not be lower than the highest of:

(i)the published circling OCH for the aeroplane category;

(ii)the minimum circling height derived from Table 15; or

(iii)the DH/MDH of the preceding instrument approach procedure (IAP);

(2)the MDA for circling should be calculated by adding the published aerodrome elevation to the MDH, as determined by (a)(1); and

(3)the minimum VIS for circling should be the higher of:

(i)the circling VIS for the aeroplane category, if published; or

(ii)the minimum VIS derived from Table 15.

Table 15

Circling — aeroplanes

MDH and minimum VIS versus aeroplane category

(b)Conduct of flight — general

(1)the MDH and OCH included in the procedure are referenced to aerodrome elevation;

(2)the MDA is referenced to mean sea level;

(3)for these procedures, the applicable visibility is the VIS; and

(4)operators should provide tabular guidance of the relationship between height above threshold and the in-flight visibility required to obtain and sustain visual contact during the circling manoeuvre.

(c)Instrument approach followed by visual manoeuvring (circling) without prescribed tracks

(1)When the aeroplane is on the initial instrument approach, before visual reference is established, but not below MDA/H, the aeroplane should follow the corresponding IAP until the appropriate instrument MAPt is reached.

(2)At the beginning of the level flight phase at or above the MDA/H, the instrument approach track should be maintained until the pilot:

(i)estimates that, in all probability, visual contact with the runway of intended landing or the runway environment will be maintained during the entire circling procedure;

(ii)estimates that the aeroplane is within the circling area before commencing circling; and

(iii)is able to determine the aeroplane’s position in relation to the runway of intended landing with the aid of the appropriate visual references.

(3)If the pilot cannot comply with the conditions in (c)(2) at the MAPt, then a missed approach should be executed in accordance with the IAP.

(4)After the aeroplane has left the track of the initial instrument approach, the flight phase outbound from the runway should be limited to an appropriate distance, which is required to align the aeroplane onto the final approach. Such manoeuvres should be conducted to enable the aeroplane to:

(i)attain a controlled and stable descent path to the intended landing runway; and

(ii)remain within the circling area and in such way that visual contact with the runway of intended landing or runway environment is maintained at all times.

(5)Flight manoeuvres should be carried out at an altitude/height that is not less than the circling MDA/H.

(6)Descent below MDA/H should not be initiated until the threshold of the runway to be used has been appropriately identified. The aeroplane should be in a position to continue with a normal rate of descent and land within the touchdown zone (TDZ).

(d)Instrument approach followed by a visual manoeuvring (circling) with prescribed track

(1)The aeroplane should remain on the initial IAP until one of the following is reached:

(i)the prescribed divergence point to commence circling on the prescribed track; or

(ii)the MAPt.

(2)The aeroplane should be established on the instrument approach track in level flight at or above the MDA/H at or by the circling manoeuvre divergence point.

(3)If the divergence point is reached before the required visual reference is acquired, a missed approach should be initiated not later than the MAPt and completed in accordance with the instrument approach procedure.

(4)When commencing the prescribed circling manoeuvre at the published divergence point, the subsequent manoeuvres should be conducted to comply with the published routing and published heights/altitudes.

(5)Unless otherwise specified, once the aeroplane is established on the prescribed track(s), the published visual reference does not need to be maintained unless:

(i)required by the State of the aerodrome; or

(ii)the circling MAPt (if published) is reached.

(6)If the prescribed circling manoeuvre has a published MAPt and the required visual reference has not been obtained by that point, a missed approach should be executed in accordance with (e)(2) and (e)(3).

(7)Subsequent further descent below MDA/H should only commence when the required visual reference has been obtained.

(8)Unless otherwise specified in the procedure, final descent should not be commenced from MDA/H until the threshold of the intended landing runway has been identified and the aeroplane is in a position to continue with a normal rate of descent to land within the TDZ.

(e)Missed approach

(1)Missed approach during the instrument procedure prior to circling

(i)If the missed approach procedure is required to be flown when the aeroplane is positioned on the instrument approach track defined by radio-navigation aids RNAV, RNP, or ILS, MLS, and before commencing the circling manoeuvre, the published missed approach for the instrument approach should be followed; or

(ii)If the IAP is carried out with the aid of an ILS, an MLS or a stabilised approach (SAp), the MAPt associated with an ILS or an MLS procedure without glide path (GP-out procedure) or the SAp, where applicable, should be used.

(2)If a prescribed missed approach is published for the circling manoeuvre, this overrides the manoeuvres prescribed below.

(3)If visual reference is lost while circling to land after the aeroplane has departed from the initial instrument approach track, the missed approach specified for that particular instrument approach should be followed. It is expected that the pilot will make an initial climbing turn toward the intended landing runway to a position overhead the aerodrome where the pilot will establish the aeroplane in a climb on the instrument missed approach segment.

(4)The aeroplane should not leave the visual manoeuvring (circling) area, which is obstacle-protected, unless:

(i)established on the appropriate missed approach procedure; or

(ii)at minimum sector altitude (MSA).

(5)All turns should be made in the same direction and the aeroplane should remain within the circling protected area while climbing either:

(i)to the altitude assigned to any published circling missed approach manoeuvre if applicable;

(ii)to the altitude assigned to the missed approach of the initial instrument approach;

(iii)to the MSA; or

(iv)to the minimum holding altitude (MHA) applicable to transition to a holding facility or fix, or continue to climb to an MSA;

or as directed by ATS.

When the missed approach procedure is commenced on the ‘downwind’ leg of the circling manoeuvre, an ‘S’ turn may be undertaken to align the aeroplane on the initial instrument approach missed approach path, provided the aeroplane remains within the protected circling area.

The commander should be responsible for ensuring adequate terrain clearance during the above-stipulated manoeuvres, particularly during the execution of a missed approach initiated by ATS.

(6)Because the circling manoeuvre may be accomplished in more than one direction, different patterns will be required to establish the aeroplane on the prescribed missed approach course depending on its position at the time visual reference is lost. In particular, all turns are to be in the prescribed direction if this is restricted, e.g. to the west/east (left or right hand) to remain within the protected circling area.

(7)If a missed approach procedure is published for a particular runway onto which the aeroplane is conducting a circling approach and the aeroplane has commenced a manoeuvre to align with the runway, the missed approach for this direction may be accomplished. The ATS unit should be informed of the intention to fly the published missed approach procedure for that particular runway.

(8)The commander should advise ATS when any missed approach procedure has been commenced, the height/altitude the aeroplane is climbing to and the position the aeroplane is proceeding towards and/or heading the aeroplane is established on.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

ONSHORE CIRCLING OPERATIONS — HELICOPTERS

For circling, the specified MDH should not be less than 250 ft, and the VIS not less than 800 m.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

VISUAL APPROACH OPERATIONS

The operator should not use an RVR of less than 800 m for a visual approach operation.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

CONVERSION OF VISIBILITY TO CMV — AEROPLANES

The following conditions apply to the use of converted meteorological visibility (CMV) instead of RVR:

(a)If the reported RVR is not available, a CMV may be substituted for the RVR, except:

(1)to satisfy the take-off minima; or

(2)for the purpose of continuation of an approach in LVOs.

(b)If the minimum RVR for an approach is more than the maximum value assessed by the aerodrome operator, then CMV should be used.

(c)In order to determine CMV from visibility:

(1)for flight planning purposes, a factor of 1.0 should be used;

(2)for purposes other than flight planning, the conversion factors specified in Table 16 should be used.

Table 16

Conversion of reported VIS to RVR/CMV

ED Decision 2023/007/R

EFFECT ON LANDING MINIMA OF TEMPORARILY FAILED OR DOWNGRADED GROUND EQUIPMENT

(a)General

These instructions are intended for use both before and during flight. Only those facilities mentioned in Table 17 should be acceptable to be used to determine the effect of temporarily failed of downgraded equipment. It is, however, not expected that the commander would consult such instructions after passing 1 000 ft above the aerodrome. If failures of ground aids are announced at such a late stage, the approach could be continued at the commander’s discretion. If failures are announced before such a late stage in the approach, their effect on the approach should be considered as described in Table 17, and the approach may have to be abandoned.

(b)Conditions applicable to Table 17:

(1)multiple failures of runway/FATO lights other than those indicated in Table 17 should not be acceptable;

(2)failures of approach and runway/FATO lights are acceptable at the same time, and the most demanding consequence should be applied; and

(3)failures other than ILS, GLS, MLS affect the RVR only and not DH.

Table 17

Failed or downgraded equipment — effect on landing minima

Operations without LVO approval

ED Decision 2014/015/R

VFR OPERATIONS WITH OTHER-THAN-COMPLEX MOTOR-POWERED AIRCRAFT

For the establishment of VFR operation minima, the operator may apply the VFR operating minima specified in Part-SERA. Where necessary, the operator may specify in the OM additional conditions for the applicability of such minima taking into account such factors as radio coverage, terrain, nature of sites for take-off and landing, flight conditions and ATS capacity.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

ONSHORE AERODROME DEPARTURE PROCEDURES — HELICOPTERS

The cloud base and visibility should be such as to allow the helicopter to be clear of cloud at take-off decision point (TDP), and for the pilot flying to remain in sight of the surface until reaching the minimum speed for flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) given in the AFM.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

APPROACH LIGHTING SYSTEMS — ICAO, FAA

The following table provides a comparison of ICAO and FAA specifications.

Table 19

Approach lighting systems — ICAO and FAA specifications

ED Decision 2022/012/R

SBAS OPERATIONS

(a)SBAS LPV operations with a DH of 200 ft depend on an SBAS system approved for operations down to a DH of 200 ft.

(b)The following systems are in operational use or in a planning phase:

(1)European geostationary navigation overlay service (EGNOS) operational in Europe;

(2)wide area augmentation system (WAAS) operational in the USA;

(3)multi-functional satellite augmentation system (MSAS) operational in Japan;

(4)system of differential correction and monitoring (SDCM) planned by Russia;

(5)GPS aided geo augmented navigation (GAGAN) system, planned by India; and

(6)satellite navigation augmentation system (SNAS), planned by China.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

MEANS TO DETERMINE THE REQUIRED RVR BASED ON DH AND LIGHTING FACILITIES

The values in Table 9 are derived from the formula below:

Minimum RVR (m) = [(DH/MDH (ft) x 0.3048)/tanα] — length of approach lights (m)

where α is the calculation angle, being a default value of 3.00° increasing in steps of 0.10° for each line in Table 9 up to 3.77° and then remaining constant. An upper RVR limit of 2 400 m has been applied to the table.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

USE OF DH FOR NPAs FLOWN USING THE CDFA TECHNIQUE

AMC3 CAT.OP.MPA.110 provides that, in certain circumstances, a published MDH may be used as a DH for a 2D operation flown using the CDFA technique.

The safety of the use of MDH as DH in CDFA operations has been verified by at least two independent analyses concluding that the CDFA using MDH as DH without any add-on is safer than the traditional step-down and level-flight NPA operation. A comparison has been made between the safety level of using MDH as DH without an add-on with the well-established safety level resulting from the ILS collision risk model. The NPA used was the most demanding, i.e. most tightly designed NPA, which offers the least additional margins. It should be noted that the design limits of the ILS approach design, e.g. the maximum GP angle of 3,5 degrees, must be observed for the CDFA in order to keep the validity of the comparison.

There is a wealth of operational experience in Europe confirming the above-mentioned analytical assessments. It cannot be expected that each operator is able to conduct similar safety assessments, and this is not necessary. The safety assessments already performed take into account the most demanding circumstances at hand, like the most tightly designed NPA procedures and other ‘worstcase scenarios’. The assessments naturally focus on cases where the controlling obstacle is located in the missed approach area.

However, it is necessary for operators to assess whether their cockpit procedures and training are adequate to ensure minimal height loss in case of a go-around manoeuvre. Suitable topics for the safety assessment required by each operator may include:

—understanding of the CDFA concept including the use of the MDA/H as DA/H;

—cockpit procedures that ensure flight on speed, on path and with proper configuration and energy management;

—cockpit procedures that ensure gradual decision-making; and

—identification of cases where an increase of the DA/H may be necessary because of non-standard circumstances, etc.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

INCREMENTS SPECIFIED BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY

Additional increments to the published minima may be specified by the competent authority to take into account certain operations, such as downwind approaches, single-pilot operations or approaches flown not using the CDFA technique.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

USE OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION

When an operator uses commercially available information to establish aerodrome operating minima, the operator remains responsible for ensuring that the material used is accurate and suitable for its operation, and that aerodrome operating minima are calculated in accordance with the method specified in Part C of its operations manual and approved by the competent authority.

The procedures in ORO.GEN.205 ‘Contracted activities’ apply in this case.