FPD.OR.105 Management system

GENERAL ICAO Doc 9906 Volume 1 ‘Flight Procedure Design Quality Assurance System’ provides guidance for a flight procedure design process.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.