FPD.OR.100 Flight procedure design (FPD) services
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) A flight procedure design services provider shall perform design, documentation and validation of flight procedure(s) subject, if necessary, to approval by the competent authority thereof before being deployed and used.
In this context, the aeronautical data and aeronautical information used by the FPD provider shall meet the requirements of accuracy, resolution, and integrity as specified in the aeronautical data catalogue in accordance with Appendix 1 to Annex III (Part-ATM/ANS.OR).
(b) If aeronautical data for the design of flight procedures is not provided by an authoritative source or does not meet the applicable data quality requirements (DQRs), such aeronautical data may be obtained from other sources by the FPD provider. In this context, such aeronautical data shall be validated by the FPD provider intending to use it.
AMC1 FPD.OR.100 Flight procedure design (FPD) services
ED Decision 2020/008/R
SOURCE
The FPD provider should use data coming from authoritative sources. If the data used is not formally made available by an authoritative source or does not meet the applicable data quality requirements (DQRs), but is required by end users, the FPD provider may use data from other (non-authoritative) sources, provided such data has been verified and validated by the FPD provider itself and/or other ATM/ANS providers to conform with the relevant standards and DQRs.
GM1 to AMC1 FPD.OR.100 Flight procedure design (FPD) services
ED Decision 2020/008/R
NON-AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE
(a) A non-authoritative source may be an organisation other than those defined in point 32 of Annex I, but providing and/or publishing data derived from data gathering or measuring performed (e.g. by aircraft operators, air crew, DAT providers, or other similar operational organisations, or a combination thereof), transforming various sources to provide aeronautical data which conform to relevant standards and DQRs as specified by the airspace end users.
(b) When validating data from a non-authoritative source, the FPD provider should proceed by using either additional information sources to validate this data (like satellite imagery, data or manuals from other providers, users, military, etc.), or data which has been tested and confirmed through operations.
(c) The first known FPD provider that uses data coming from other (non-authoritative) sources in the aeronautical data chain accepts the responsibility of the data originator (i.e. ensuring that the data meets the DQRs).
GM1 FPD.OR.100 Flight procedure design (FPD) services
ED Decision 2020/008/R
GENERAL
(a) If the flight procedure(s) or a change thereto result in a change to the functional system of an ATS provider, a safety assessment of the change to the functional system in accordance with ATS.OR.205 needs to be carried out by that ATS provider before the deployment of that flight procedure.
(b) In other situations, the organisations that perform the safety assessment may vary. For instance, the safety assessment of the a change of flight procedure(s) at an aerodrome may be performed by the aerodrome operator as per ADR.OR.B.040(f) of Commission Regulation (EU) No 139/2014 or as per national legislation for aerodromes that are not certified in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 139/2014.
(c) An approval may not be required, when there are minor changes, including but not limited to:
(1) publication of new standard instrument departures (SIDs), as a result of shortening already published SIDs;
(2) incorporation in existing standard instrument arrivals (STARs) routes of segments already published in other STARs, with altitudes equal to or higher than those published;
(3) change in the procedure approach chart identification: transition planning for change to instrument flight procedure approach chart identification from RNAV to RNP, according to ICAO Circular 353; and
(4) removal of segments of SID or STAR to the flight procedures.
GM2 FPD.OR.100 Flight procedure design (FPD) services
ED Decision 2020/008/R
DESIGN AND DOCUMENTATION
Design and documentation of flight procedures includes maintenance and periodic review activities.
In reference to periodic review, please refer to AMC1 Article 3(9) Provision of ATM/ANS and design of airspace structures ‘PERIODIC REVIEW’.
GM3 FPD.OR.100 Flight procedure design (FPD) services
ED Decision 2020/008/R
VALIDATION OF AERONAUTICAL DATA
The processes for validating the aeronautical data by the FPD provider should meet the standards specified in EUROCAE ED-76A/RTCA DO-200B ‘Standards for Processing Aeronautical Data’, dated June 2015, especially Section 2.4.1 (6) and Appendix C, in particular points C.2.1 and C.2.2. EUROCAE ED-76/RTCA DO-200A may be also used for the demonstration of compliance.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
In addition to point ATM/ANS.OR.B.005 of Annex III, the FPD provider shall establish and maintain a management system that includes control procedures for:
(a) data acquisition;
(b) flight procedure design in accordance with design criteria as set out in point FPD.TR.100;
(c) flight procedure design documentation;
(d) stakeholders consultation;
(e) ground validation and, when appropriate, flight validation of flight procedure;
(f) identification of tools, including configuration management and tools qualification, as necessary; and
(g) maintenance and periodic review of the flight procedure(s), as applicable.
GM1 FPD.OR.105 Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
GENERAL
ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 1 ‘Flight Procedure Design Quality Assurance System’ provides guidance for a flight procedure design process.
GM1 FPD.OR.105(a) Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
DATA ACQUISITION
The flight procedure design process starts with the verification of input data in coordination with affected stakeholders. The following aspects should be addressed:
(a) aerodrome, navigation aids, obstacles and terrain data;
(b) airspace data and associated requirements;
(c) user requirements, i.e. airspace users and air traffic services provider;
(d) airport infrastructure and equipment;
(e) environmental considerations (e.g. population likely to be significantly affected by aircraft noise); and
(f) any other information as potentially specified by the competent authority.
AMC1 FPD.OR.105(c) Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
FLIGHT PROCEDURE DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
Flight procedure design documentation should be kept at least during the lifetime of the flight procedure, unless otherwise specified by the competent authority.
GM1 FPD.OR.105(e) Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
GENERAL
(a) Validation is the necessary final quality assurance step in the flight procedure design. Validation may consist of ground validation and/or flight validation. ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 5 ‘Validation of Instrument Flight Procedures’ provides guidance for conducting the validation process for instrument flight procedures, including safety, ability to be flown and verification of data accuracy and completeness. Ground validation is always undertaken, but flight validation may not always be required.
(b) The flight procedure may be validated using one or more of the following methods as deemed necessary for the intended use:
(1) airspace modelling;
(2) ATC simulation;
(3) live trials;
(4) flight simulation;
(5) data analytical tools;
(6) statistical analysis;
(7) collision risk modelling; and/or
(8) noise and emissions modelling.
AMC1 FPD.OR.105(e) Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
GROUND VALIDATION
(a) Ground validation should be always undertaken to ensure compliance with applicable requirements, i.e. to detect errors in criteria and documentation, and evaluate on the ground, to the extent possible, those elements that could be evaluated in a flight validation whenever necessary.
Ground validation should be performed by a person trained in flight procedure design as per FPD.OR.115 other than the one who designed the flight procedure and with appropriate knowledge of flight validation issues.
(b) Ground validation should include a systematic review of the steps and calculation involved in the flight procedure design and its impact, aiming at:
(1) providing assurance that adequate obstacle and terrain clearances have been provided;
(2) verifying that the navigation data (e.g. tracks, distances and altitudes to be flown) to be published are correct;
(3) conducting an assessment of fly-ability to determine that the procedure can be safely flown; and
(4) evaluating the charting, obstacle clearance and other operational factors.
AMC2 FPD.OR.105(e) Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
FLIGHT VALIDATION
(a) Based on the results from the ground validation as per AMC1 FPD.OR.105(e), the flight validation should:
(1) verify that the navigation data to be published is correct;
(2) verify that all required infrastructure supports the procedure (e.g. runway markings, lighting, communications and navigation sources);
(3) verify the fly-ability of the procedure; and
(4) evaluate the draft charting, obstacle and terrain clearances and other operational factors.
(b) Flight validation should be required if new navigation aids or minimum obstacle clearance reduction is affected by a change of an existing procedure.
(c) For the airways with lower limit equal to or higher than FL145, the flight validation is not required, when the ground validation is completed and satisficed.
GM2 FPD.OR.105(e) Management system
ED Decision 2020/008/R
FLIGHT VALIDATION
(a) Flight validation may be required if:
(1) the fly-ability of a procedure cannot be determined by other means;
(2) the procedure contains non-standard design elements (deviations from criteria e.g. non-standard approach angles/gradients, non-standard segment lengths, speeds, bank angles, etc.);
(3) the accuracy and/or integrity of obstacle and terrain data cannot be determined by other means;
(4) new procedures differ significantly from existing procedures; and
(5) helicopter PinS procedures are to be deployed.
(b) ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 5 ‘Validation of Instrument Flight Procedures’ provides further guidance for the flight validation.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
In addition to point ATM/ANS.OR.B.030 of Annex III, the FPD provider shall include in its record-keeping system the elements indicated in point FPD.OR.105 of this Annex.
FPD.OR.115 Technical and operational competence and capability
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) In addition to point ATM/ANS.OR.B.005(a)(6) of Annex III, the FPD provider shall ensure that its flight procedure designers:
(1) have successfully completed a training course that provides competency in flight procedure design;
(2) are suitably experienced to successfully apply the theoretical knowledge; and
(3) successfully complete continuation training.
(b) When flight validation is deemed necessary to be performed, the FPD provider shall ensure that it is undertaken by a competent pilot.
(c) In addition to point ATM/ANS.OR.B.030 of Annex III, the FPD provider shall maintain records of all the training as well as any design activity completed by the employed flight procedure designers and make such records available on request:
(1) to the flight procedure designers concerned; and
(2) in agreement with the flight procedure designers, to the new employer when a flight procedure designer is employed by a new entity.
AMC1 FPD.OR.115(a)(1) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
TRAINING
The training should provide the flight procedure designers with:
(a) knowledge of technical rules for the design and the establishment of instrument flight procedures;
(b) knowledge of design criteria;
(c) knowledge of the data catalogue, including the applicable DQRs; and
(d) competence in designing flight procedures with the selected tools in accordance with the design criteria.
GM1 FPD.OR.115(a)(1) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
TRAINING
In addition to the PANS-OPS design training, the training should consider:
(a) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 laying down common requirements for service providers and the oversight in air traffic management/air navigation services and other air traffic management network functions;
(b) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 laying down the common rules of the air and operational provisions regarding services and procedures in air navigation;
(c) design criteria defined in FPD.TR.100;
(d) ICAO Annex 4 ‘Aeronautical Charts’;
(e) ICAO Doc 9613 ‘Performance-based Navigation (PBN) Manual;
(f) ICAO Doc 9906 ‘Quality Assurance Manual for Flight Procedure Design’; and
(g) tools used in the design, which may be acquired as part of the on-the-job training.
GM2 FPD.OR.115(a)(1) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
TRAINING
The FPD provider’s personnel involved in the flight procedure charting and/or coding should have successfully completed a training course that provides a basic level of competency in charting and/or coding.
GM3 FPD.OR.115(a)(1) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
TRAINING
ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 2 ‘Flight Procedure Designer Training’ provides guidance for the establishment of flight procedure designer training and possible content.
AMC1 FPD.OR.115(a)(2) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
FLIGHT PROCEDURE DESIGNER EXPERIENCE
In order for flight procedure designers to show that they are suitably experienced to successfully apply the theoretical knowledge, they should be prove that they have either:
(a) worked in flight procedure design work over a period of time specified by the competent authority; or
(b) undergone sufficient on-the-job training. In doing so, the procedure designer should have undergone a minimum of time on-the-job PANS-OPS design training until demonstrating adequate competency in the practical application of design criteria.
GM1 to AMC1 FPD.OR.115(a)(2) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
DURATION OF THE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
The on-the-job training is recommended to be minimum 2 years. This period may be substantially reduced in cases where the designer has experience in flight procedures.
GM1 FPD.OR.115(a)(3) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
CONTINUATION TRAINING
Continuation training aims at addressing changes in the applicable design criteria and regulations.
ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 2 ‘Flight Procedure Designer Training’ provides guidance for the establishment of flight procedure designer training.
GM1 FPD.OR.115(b) Technical and operational competence and capability
ED Decision 2020/008/R
COMPETENT PILOT
ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 6 ‘Flight Validation Pilot Training and Evaluation’ provides guidance for the establishment of flight procedure validation pilot training
FPD.OR.120 Required interfaces
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) When obtaining the aeronautical data and aeronautical information in accordance with point FPD.OR.100, the FPD provider shall ensure the necessary formal arrangements are established, as applicable, with:
(1) aeronautical data sources;
(2) other service providers;
(3) aerodrome operators; and
(4) aircraft operators.
(b) To ensure that the requests for flight procedure design are clearly defined and subject to review, the FPD service provider shall establish the necessary formal arrangements with the next intended user.
GM1 FPD.OR.120 Required interfaces
ED Decision 2020/008/R
FORMAL ARRANGEMENTS
(a) Formal arrangements could be in, but not limited to, the form of a service-level agreement (SLA), a contract or a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that should specify the scope of aeronautical data and aeronautical information to be received/provided.
(b) The FPD provider should demonstrate that formal arrangements with the aeronautical data sources are implemented. In this context, procedures should be established to communicate and address instances of erroneous, inconsistent or missing data.
(c) The FPD provider’s procedures should confirm that effective controls are in place to ensure that an unsafe product is not released and that such concerns are communicated to other service providers, aerodrome operators and/or aircraft operators.
(d) The FPD provider should demonstrate that formal arrangements with the next intended user are in place to confirm that its requests are clearly defined and subject to review.