khz CHANNEL SPACING

Transcription

1 1. Introduction This instruction updates section 47: 8.33 khz CHANNEL of the IFPS Users Manual Next edition of the manual (22.0 due in the spring 2018) will incorporate the present update. 2. Update khz CHANNEL (1) General Due to a congested VHF radio frequency band, the switch from 25 khz to 8.33 khz channel frequency spacing in VHF voice communications was designed to increase the number of available frequencies. The carriage of 8.33 khz channel spacing capable radio equipment has been made mandatory from the 15th March 2007, for aircraft operating in the IFPZ above FL195, on the understanding that an individual State may grant exemptions within its area of responsibility. The mandatory carriage of 8.33 has reduced but not eliminated frequency congestion. Therefore the only realistic option to resolve medium to long-term congestion problem is the further deployment of 8.33 khz channel spacing. The European Commission (EC) undertook to regulate the implementation of VHF 8.33 khz voice channel spacing in European airspace. The Regulation extends to the lower airspace (below FL195) the requirements, covered in Regulation (EC) No 1265/2007, for the coordinated introduction of air-ground based voice communications based on 8.33 khz channel spacing. The Regulation applies to all radios operating in the VHF band, to flight data processing systems serving general air traffic and to all flights operating as GAT (General Air Traffic / civil) within the airspace of the ICAO EUR region. It consists of interoperability, performance and deployment obligations, with relevant application dates, for manufacturers of radios, for ANSPs, for operators and other users of radios, for Member States and for the Network Manager. It includes operational procedures based on ICAO provisions, as well as specific arrangements for State aircraft, and provisions for exemptions. The full content of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 (amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 657/2013 of 10 July 2013 ) can be consulted by following the url: The Network Manager has been mandated by the European Commission to develop requirements for the coordinated further implementation of 8.33 channel spacing. The outcome of this led to the publication of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 of 16 November 2012 laying down the requirements for voice channels spacing for the Single European Sky. The EU regulation can be accessed with the following url: Page 1 of 6

2 As of 1 st of January 2014, the 8.33 khz channel spacing will gradually become mandatory below FL195 in the airspace of the ICAO EUR region where EU Member States are responsible for the provision of ATS. By the 31 st of December 2018, it is planned that EU member states shall have all frequency assignments converted to 8.33 khz channel spacing. Aircraft operators or agents acting on their behalf shall be aware of this EU regulation. (2) Requirements All IFR/GAT flights or parts thereof operating in 8.33 khz airspace above FL195 within the IFPZ or below FL195 in the airspaces of the EU member states (plus Switzerland and Norway) where 8.33 khz is implemented, are required to carry the 8.33 khz radio equipment, except where local measures granting exemptions apply (as defined in the national AIP of the State concerned see below: Exemptions) and as specified by the terms of those exemptions. Whenever an aircraft is equipped with the 8.33 khz radios, the letter Y shall be inserted in Item 10: Equipment, of the filed flight plan. Exemptions: Above FL195, in the IFPZ, not equipped aircraft may be exempted from the carriage of the 8.33 khz radios (refer to the national AIP of the state concerned to see if the flight is eligible) in which case the letter Y shall not be inserted in Item 10a Equipment, but the letter Z shall be inserted in Item 10a as well as COM/EXM833 in the Item 18 of the filed flight plan. Below FL195, in the airspace of the EU member states (plus Switzerland and Norway) some airspaces may be exempted from the carriage of the 8.33 khz radios (refer to the national AIP of the state concerned) in which case the airspace is not inserted in the area where the mandatory carriage check takes place. Such exemption will permit a non-equipped aircraft to fly but only if the flight trajectory remains exclusively in airspaces where 8.33 khz is not mandatory. Below FL195, in the airspaces of the EU member states (plus Switzerland and Norway), state aircraft (see Note below) non-uhf and non-833 are exempted. The letters Y and U shall not be inserted in Item 10 Equipment, but STS/STATE shall be inserted in the Item 18 of the filed flight plan. In the IFPZ, State aircraft that are not equipped with 8.33 khz capable radios but are equipped with UHF shall be permitted to fly in 8.33 khz airspace where UHF coverage is provided or special procedures are implemented (see the national AIP of the State concerned). To indicate such, the letters U and Z shall be inserted in Item 10a Equipment and COM/EXM833 shall be inserted in Item 18 of the filed flight plan. The ACK message for such an exempted message shall contain the following comment: THIS FLIGHT MAY REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING BY ATC DUE TO 8.33 khz CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS If the aircraft is not equipped with 8.33 khz radios but the aircraft is exempted from the carriage of the 8.33 khz radios [refer to the national AIP of the state concerned to see if the flight is eligible], the letter Y shall not be inserted in Item 10: Equipment, but COM/EXM833 shall be inserted in the Item 18 as well as Z in Item 10a of the filed flight plan. Only those State aircraft [see Note below] that are not equipped with 8.33 khz capable radios but are equipped with UHF, shall be permitted to fly in 8.33 khz airspace where UHF coverage is provided or special procedures are implemented [see the national AIP of the State Page 2 of 6

3 concerned]. To indicate such, the letters U and Z shall be inserted in Item 10a Equipment and COM/EXM833 shall be inserted in Item 18 of the filed flight plan. The ACK message for such an exempted message shall contain the following comment: THIS FLIGHT MAY REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING BY ATC DUE TO 8.33 khz CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS Medical flights specifically declared by the medical authorities and aircraft engaged in search and rescue missions, are not automatically exempted from the 8.33 khz mandatory carriage requirements. However, these special flights shall not be rejected by the IFPS whenever STS/HOSP or STS/SAR are identified by the IFPS system in the filed flight plan. Where the status of the 8.33 khz radio capability changes prior departure, such a change shall be notified to the IFPS by means of a modification message (CHG) or by filing a new flight plan. Note For ATM purposes and with reference to Article 3(b) of the Chicago Convention, only aircraft used in military, customs and police services shall qualify as State aircraft. Accordingly: Aircraft on a military register, or identified as such within a civil register, shall be considered to be used in military service and hence qualify as State aircraft. Civil registered aircraft used in military, customs and police service shall qualify as State aircraft. Civil registered aircraft used by a State for other than military, customs and police service shall not qualify as State aircraft. Only those flights that are other than Head of State, and that are specifically required by the State Authorities, e.g. military or civil registered aircraft used in military, customs and police services, shall use the sub-field STS/STATE indicator. If the aircraft is not equipped with 8.33 khz radio (no Y in Item 10a) and penetrates only airspaces where 8.33 khz is not mandatory below FL195 in the airspace of the EU members States plus Norway and Switzerland then the ACK message shall contain the following comment: -COMMENT MANDATORY 8.33KHZ RADIO EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FROM 01/01/2018. <LIST OF FIRs> FIR MAY REQUIRE 8.33KHZ CARRIAGE BEFORE THIS DATE. CHECK AIP/AIC. Page 3 of 6

4 (3) Message Format Figure 47-1 IFPS Reference Graph for 8.33 khz Flight Planning Page 4 of 6

5 Figure 47-2 RPL Reference Graph for 8.33 khz Flight Planning Graph is deleted (4) System Processing Two 8.33 khz regions are defined in the NM CACD which the IFPS uses to perform the 8.33 khz flight plan checks. The regions for the 8.33 khz checking mechanism are: 8.33 Region Indicator Description Composed of all those airspaces inside the IFPZ within which 833_EUR_IFPS 8.33 khz equipped flights, State flights with UHF and nonequipped exempted flights are allowed. Composed of all those airspaces inside the IFPZ within which 833_VHF_UHF only 8.33 khz equipped flights and State flights with UHF are allowed. One 8.33 khz region is defined in the NM CACD which IFPS uses (in parallel with the 833_VHF_UHF region) to determine if the ACK for a flight plan shall contain the 8.33 khz warning/comment (See Section 17 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT) Region Indicator Description 833_WARNING Composed of all those airspaces below FL195 of the EU members States, Norway and Switzerland. The IFPS shall make a crosscheck between the concerned airspaces crossed by the flight profile and the radio communication equipment indicated in Item 10: Equipment and/or type of flight in Item 8: Type of Flight and/or Item 18: other information, provided in the submitted message. If Item 10: Equipment of the submitted message contains Y, then that flight is considered to be compliant. If Item 10: Equipment, of the submitted message does not contain Y, but contains Z and U and the exemption indicator COM/EXM833 is present in Item 18: Other Information, and the flight is a STATE flight, then that flight shall be considered compliant. If Item 10: Equipment of, the submitted message does not contain Y but contains the exemption indicator COM/EXM833 and the flight is not penetrating the 833_UHF_VHF region and is entirely within the 833_EUR_IFPS, then that flight shall be considered compliant. If Item 10: Equipment, of the submitted message does not contain Y, neither U and Item 18 contains STS/STATE and the flight is exclusively in the airspace of the EU members states (plus Switzerland and Norway) below FL195 then that flight shall be considered compliant. In all the other cases, the flight shall be considered not compliant and shall fail automatic processing. When a flight is deemed to be non-compliant by the IFPS, the following is applied in order of priority: Whenever the flight is indicated as a STS/SAR or STS/HOSP flight then it is accepted and the following comment is added in the operational reply message from IFPS: FLIGHT PLAN IS NOT COMPLIANT WITH 8.33KHZ RADIO EQUIPMENTS; EXPECT SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL PENALTY. Page 5 of 6

6 In case the flight plan is sent for manual processing by the IFPS staff and the 8.33kHz error is manually ignored then the following comment is added in the operational reply message from IFPS: THIS FLIGHT DOES NOT COMPLY WITH 8.33 RADIO EQUIPMENT. IACH and IDLA messages shall not be checked for 8.33 khz compliance. IFP Indicators IFP/NON833 IFP/833UNKNOWN 47.1 General Procedures for 8.33 khz Errors Exceptionally, and at the duty supervisor s discretion, it may be necessary to re-route a flight for reasons of 8.33 khz-compliance. If such a situation occurs, the IFPS staff shall take the following into account: Descent and climb ( YOYO flights) to avoid the IFPS 8.33 khz regions shall not be used. If a descent is required, the remainder of the flight shall be conducted outside the IFPS 8.33 khz regions. If a route is proposed to avoid the IFPZ 8.33 khz region, it should be noted that this change of route could take the flight into States for which the flight has no 8.33 khz exemption and may therefore not be accepted by the States concerned. Errors shall not be manually ignored for those flights where the profile is below the 8.33 khz regions but the requested flight level is inside the vertical limits of the 8.33 khz regions. Non-implementing States within the 8.33 khz mandatory carriage area: Some States within the area of mandatory carriage have currently not implemented 8.33 khz channel-spacing operations in their airspace and area of responsibility. An exemption allows non-8.33 khz equipped aircraft to fly within that portion of the airspace of mandatory carriage where the exemption applies. Operations Manager Page 6 of 6