PBCS OPERATIONS — GENERAL Detailed guidance material on PBCS operations may be found in the following documents:
(a)ICAO Doc 9869 ‘Performance-based Communication and Surveillance (PBCS) Manual’
(b)ICAO Doc 10037 ‘Global Operational Data Link (GOLD) Manual’ PBCS OPERATIONS — AIRCRAFT ELIGIBILITY
(a)The aircraft eligibility for compliance with the required RCP/RSP specifications should be demonstrated by the aircraft manufacturer or equipment supplier and be specific to each individual aircraft or the combination of the aircraft type and the equipment. The demonstrated compliance with specific RCP/RSP specifications may be documented in one of the following documents:
(1)the type certificate (TC);
(2)the supplemental type certificate (STC);
(3)the aeroplane flight manual (AFM) or AFM Supplement; or
(4)a compliance statement from the manufacturer or the holder of the design approval of the data link installation, approved by the State of Design.
(b)In addition to the indication of compliance with specific RCP/RSP specifications, the aircraft manufacturer or equipment supplier should document any associated operating limitations, information and procedures in the AFM or other appropriate documents. PBCS OPERATIONS — MEL ENTRIES
(a)The operator should amend the MEL, in accordance with the items identified by the aircraft manufacturer or equipment supplier in the master minimum equipment list (MMEL) or MMEL supplement, in relation to PBCS capability, to address the impact of losing an associated system/sub-system on data link operational capability.
(b)As an example, equipment required in current FANS 1/A-capable aircraft, potentially affecting RCP and RSP capabilities, may be the following:
(1)VHF, SATCOM, or HFDL1 radios, as applicable;
(2)ACARS management unit (MU)/communications management unit (CMU);
(3)flight management computer (FMC) integration; and
(4)printer, if procedures require its use. PBCS OPERATIONS — OPERATING PROCEDURES The operator should establish operating procedures for the flight crew and other relevant personnel, such as but not limited to, flight dispatchers and maintenance personnel. These procedures should cover the usage of PBCS-relevant systems and include as a minimum:
(a)pre-flight planning requirements including MEL consideration and flight plan filing;
(b)actions to be taken in the data link operation, to include specific RCP/RSP required cases;
(c)actions to be taken for the loss of data link capability while in and prior to entering the airspace requiring specific RCP/RSP specifications. Examples may be found in ICAO Doc 10037;
(d)problem reporting procedures to the local/regional PBCS monitoring body or central reporting body as applicable; and
(e)compliance with specific regional requirements and procedures, if applicable. PBCS OPERATIONS — QUALIFICATION AND TRAINING
(a)The operator should ensure that flight crew and other relevant personnel such as flight dispatchers and maintenance personnel are proficient with PBCS operations. A separate training programme is not required if data link communication is integrated in the current training programme. However, the operator should ensure that the existing training programme incorporates a basic PBCS concept and requirements for flight crew and other personnel that have direct impact on overall data link performance required for the provisions of ATS such as reduced separation.
(b)The elements covered during the training should be as a minimum:
(1)Flight crew
(i)Data link communication system theory relevant to operational use;
(ii)AFM limitations;
(iii)Normal pilot response to data link communication messages;
(iv)Message elements in the message set used in each environment;
(v)RCP/RSP specifications and their performance requirements;
(vi)Implementation of performance-based reduced separation with associated RCP/RSP specifications or other possible performance requirements associated with their routes;
(vii)Other ATM operations involving data link communication services;
(viii)Normal, non-normal and contingency procedures; and
(ix)Data link communication failure/problem and reporting. Note (1) If flight crew has already been trained on data link operations, additional training only on PBCS is required, addressing a basic concept and requirements that have direct impact on overall data link performance required for provisions of ATS (e.g. reduced separation). Note (2) Training may be provided through training material and other means that simulate the functionality.
(2)Dispatchers/flight operations officers
(i)Proper use of data link and PBCS flight plan designators;
(ii)Air traffic service provider’s separation criteria and procedures relevant to RCP/RSP specifications;
(iii)MEL remarks or exceptions based on data link communication;
(iv)Procedures for transitioning to voice communication and other contingency procedures related to the operation in the event of abnormal behavior of the data link communication;
(v)Coordination with the ATS unit related to, or following a special data link communication exceptional event (e.g. log-on or connection failures); and
(vi)Contingency procedures to transition to a different separation standard when data link communication fails.
(3)Engineering and maintenance personnel
(i)Data link communication equipment including its installation, maintenance and modification;
(ii)MEL relief and procedures for return to service authorisations; and
(iii)Correction of reported non-performance of data link system. PBCS OPERATIONS — CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS
(a)The operator should ensure that aircraft systems are properly maintained to continue to meet the applicable RCP/RSP specifications.
(b)The operator should ensure that the following elements are documented and managed appropriately:
(1)configuration and equipment list detailing the pertinent hardware and software components for the aircraft/fleet(s) applicable to the specific RCP/RSP operation;
(2)configuration control for subnetwork, communication media and routing policies; and
(3)description of systems including display and alerting functions (including message sets). PBCS OPERATIONS — CSP COMPLIANCE
(a)The operator should ensure that their contracted CSPs notify the ATS units of any failure condition that may have an impact on PBCS operations. Notification should be made to all relevant ATS units regardless of whether the CSP has a contract with them.
(b)The operator may demonstrate the compliance of their contracted CSP through service level agreements (SLAs)/contractual arrangements for data link services or through a joint agreement among PBCS stakeholders such as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or a PBCS Charter. PBCS OPERATIONS — PBCS CHARTER A PBCS charter has been developed by PBCS stakeholders and is available as an alternative to SLAs in order to validate the agreement between the operator and the CSP for compliance with RCP/RSP required for PBCS operations. The charter is hosted on the website www.FANS-CRA.com where operators and CSPs can subscribe. PBCS OPERATIONS — PARTICIPATION IN MONITORING PROGRAMMES
(a)The operator should establish a process to participate in local or regional PBCS monitoring programmes and provide the following information, including any subsequent changes, to monitoring bodies:
(1)operator name;
(2)operator contact details; and
(3)other coordination information as applicable, including appropriate information means for the CSP/SSP service fail notification.
(b)The process should also address the actions to be taken with respect to problem reporting and resolution of deficiencies, such as:
(1)reporting problems identified by the flight crew or other personnel to the PBCS monitoring bodies associated with the route of flight on which the problem occurred
(2)disclosing operational data in a timely manner to the appropriate PBCS monitoring bodies when requested for the purposes of investigating a reported problem
(3)investigating and resolving the cause of the deficiencies reported by the PBCS monitoring bodies.