WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

Chapter 21.

An Overview of CNS/ATM

This chapter looks at trends in the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance / Air Traffic
Management (CNS/ATM, previously referred to as FANS) and provides an overview of each.

Communications Current activity in Europe, as elsewhere in the World, shows a much

greater sensitivity to the economic impact that ATM procedures have on aircraft operations.
Much consideration is being given to the creation of new (or modification of existing)
procedures which will lead to more efficient fleet-wide operations. These services span
oceanic, enroute and terminal regimes. Most of the changes are dependent upon effective
Data Link facilities rather than increased complexity of the FMS.

Air Traffic Management and FANS 1 The integration of future Air Traffic Management
ground systems with the Communication-Navigation-Surveillance functions in aircraft avionics
will enhance the ability to provide concise scheduling, optimised time control and well-defined,
reduced separation of air traffic. It is likely that aircraft equipped with ATM-compatible avionics
will benefit by receiving clearances as filed for the scheduled landing time along with
minimising delays caused by weather and other aircraft.

CNS-ATM is currently in the early stages of system definition. The first step in the airborne
side of the equation (CNS) is the FANS 1 concept. Aircraft equipped with FANS 1 are already
receiving benefits on specific routes. The avionics functions required for FANS 1 are:

¾ Controller/Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC, also called TWDL or, offering
easier comprehension of what is meant, ATC Comm Data Link),
¾ Required Time of Arrival (RTA),
¾ GNSS input for time and position,
¾ Required Navigation Performance (RNP),
¾ Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS).

These capabilities will result in a fundamental change in the way airspace is managed today.

The automatic transmission of ground-to-air and air-to-ground clearance messages, flight

planning data, along with knowledge of the aircraft's intent, its scheduled arrival time and a
negotiated RTA at the metering fix will provide the ground ATM systems with unprecedented
amount of detailed information for each aircraft. The airspace will become better managed,
that is the intervention of the manager will be an exception rather than the rule. It will not be
controlled and will not require the intervention of the air traffic controller on a routine basis.

Operators will be able to realise the benefits associated with reduced aircraft separation and
the ability to fly preferred (or direct) routings provided their aircraft are properly equipped to
the requisite RNAV level.

Controller/Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) The definition and design of Data
Link systems for communications between aircraft and Air Traffic Control (ATC) agencies is

21-1
 WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING
already at a very advanced state. To this end, manufacturers have worked extensively with
regulatory authorities, airlines and service providers to develop the Minimum Operational
Performance Standards (MOPS) for airborne ATC implementations. Data Link
communications systems are being designed to provide more efficient aircraft
communications for ATC and Flight lnformation Services (FIS). Although these systems
essentially replace normal voice radio communications, a voice radio backup is considered
essential for ATC communications at this time.

Flight plan data, including aircraft position and intent in the form of future waypoints, arrival
times, selected procedures, aircraft trajectory, destination airport and alternates, will be
transferred to the ground systems for traffic management. The data sent to the ground ATM
system will aid in the process of predictions of where each aircraft will be at a given time.
Conflict management will be made simpler for the ground equipment, based on the use of
actual flight plan data, compared with making predictions on the ground. The ground system
may decide that a re-clearance (for example, new flight plan) is required for one of the aircraft
in a predicted conflict situation. Through the utilisation of the RTA function on board the
aircraft, a profile negotiation capability is possible based on the available RTA and the current
flight plan.

The diagram below shows how the transmission of Data Link messages are exchanged
between aircraft and the ground ATM systems. Some operators may elect to use another link
to their Airline Operations Centre (AOC), flight operations, or flight planning services. This
additional link may be used for monitoring or intervention of flight planning route data,
management of alternate airports and/or weather data. All links are two-way and require no
pilot intervention, except to monitor messages and to confirm and implement flight plan
modifications. The monitoring may be accomplished via the MCDU.

Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) The Aeronautical

Telecommunications Network (ATN) provides the means for world-wide data communication
between ground and airborne host computers within the aeronautical community. It is a data
communications network designed to allow interoperability between aircraft, airlines and air
traffic control facilities and authorities.

ATN utilises satellite, VHF, Mode-S and other specific sub-networks to transmit data from one
end system to another, linked by a common working protocol. When fully completed, the ATN
will allow any ATN host computer to communicate with any other ATN host computer without
having a direct physical link between them.

21-2
 WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING
International agreements for the ATN are currently being documented in the International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with regard to Secondary Surveillance Radar improvements,
Collision Avoidance Systems Panel, and Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
These will establish communications protocols and will, by these means, ensure international
interoperability services and operational requirements are met. The ATN protocols are
designed using existing international standards as a basis.

The ATN will pave the way for major improvement in FAA/CAA Air Traffic Management
services. The use of the bit-orientated, transparent ATN protocols allows any type of
application data to be sent (including messages, graphics and video). The aeronautical
telecommunications industry is currently defining Air Traffic Services (ATS) applications that
will operate over the ATN. These applications provide a means for ATM facilities to
communicate with the avionics and the flight crew on Data Link equipped aircraft.

Navigation

Eurocontrol BRNAV and PRNAV Within the Eurocontrol region two forms (or levels) of
RNAV are recognised viz. Basic RNAV (BRNAV) and Precision RNAV (PRNAV). BRNAV was
made mandatory in 1998 and PRNAV is scheduled to be mandatory by 2005.

The original BRNAV requirement of 99.999 percent availability has been removed. This
availability requirement is now expected to be provided by the existing VOR route structure
and an operating onboard VOR receiver.

PRNAV requirements are intended to be met through the use of "RNP 1 ".

Required Navigation Performance (RNP) The RNP concept was created by ICAO and
defines a 95 percent confidence area of position. In the RNP concept, the ability to fly in a
particular airspace is no longer defined by the equipment carried but instead by the ability of
the equipment to meet defined accuracy, integrity and continuity of service requirements.

Terminal Area Initiatives For some time there has been a sustained effort to get more
benefits from the existing FMS equipment on board EFIS equipped aircraft. This effort has
resulted in the definition of FMS procedures for the terminal area airspace (often referred to
as slant E procedures). A considerable effort has been made on the use of Baro VNAV to
provide additional final approach benefits. Actual benefits received will typically be
negotiated with the local authorities and may vary depending on the ability to highlight
situational awareness, coupled with a flight control system and an auto throttle.

Surveillance

Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS)

allows ground facilities to track aircraft current and predicted status with minimal crew
interaction. Crew interaction consists of selecting ON, OFF or EMERGENCY modes. All other
operations are transparent to the crew. The general operation is that the ground application
requests data and the aircraft application supplies the requested data at the required interval.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS - B) Automatic Dependent

Surveillance - Broadcast, or ADS-B is a system that transmits information about an aircraft's

21-3
 WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING
state and intent at a predefined interval for use by both ground-based air traffic control and
other aircraft. The uses for this data are situational awareness and conflict resolution. It is
expected that this information will be transmitted by using the Mode S transponder Data Link.
All the information to be transmitted by ADS-B resides in the FMS function.

Mode S Data Link We have already looked at the principle of operation of the
aeroplane’s transponder and at the introduction of Mode S transponders.

Modern units are now available with a capacity to transfer such data as:

¾ Traffic information service

¾ Graphical Weather information
¾ Differential GPS uplinks
¾ Windshear alerts
¾ TCAS traffic resolution.

The next development for this will be to provide the capacity to communicate simultaneously
with multiple ground stations while maintaining the capacity to conduct the TCAS function.

No doubt there will continue to be developments in these important subjects and, as a

professional pilot, it will be your duty to keep up to date.

21-4