Performance Based Navigation

(PBN)

Presented to: ICAO PBN Workshop for Air Traffic Controllers

Michael Watkins, Senior Air Traffic Representative – Asia/Pacific
13-15 June 2017, Beijing, China
 Overview
• Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)
• Performance Based Navigation (PBN)
• Real World Examples
• Stakeholders in the PBN Procedure Development Process
• Aircraft Equipage
• Area Navigation (RNAV) Departures (SID)
• Optimized Profile Descents (OPD)
• Flight Management Systems (FMS)
• PBN/RNAV Reference Materials
 Next Generation Air
Transportation System - NextGen
Integrates new and existing technologies,
policies and procedures to enhance safety,
save fuel, and reduce delays to deliver a
more reliable travel experience.
SAVES
FUEL
 NextGen Benefits
Reduced Environmental Impact
NextGen will reduce aviation’s environmental
footprint through a combination of enhanced air
traffic procedures, and other measures to make
continual improvements. The efficiencies that
reduce delays also save fuel and reduce
emissions.

A key component of NextGen is

Performance Based Navigation
(PBN)
Performance Based Navigation (PBN)
 History of PBN

2003 2004 2006 2009 2012

• Industry requests the establishment of an RNAV/RNP Program at FAA-

RTCA Spring Forum 2002
• FAA Administrator issued a policy statement committing FAA to
aggressively pursue the implementation of RNAV and RNP in the National
Airspace System - July 22, 2002
• Roadmap initiatives incorporated into NextGen Implementation Plan and
FAA Enterprise Architecture - 2008/2009
• NextGen Implementation Plan – March 2012
Performance Based Navigation
(PBN)
• Navigation based on specified system performance
requirements for aircraft operating on an air traffic route,
instrument approach procedure, or in a designated
airspace.
• Potential for aircraft to demonstrate requirements
compliance through a mix of capabilities, rather than only
specific equipment.

PBN makes key distinctions between

RNAV and RNP
 RNAV vs RNP
RNAV
NO ALERT TO PILOT

Route Width Route Centerline

RNP
ALERT TO PILOT

Route Width Route Centerline

 RNAV/RNP Accuracy Values
(Not to be confused with separation standards)
Oceanic and remote continental airspace is currently served by two
navigation applications, RNAV 10 and RNP 4.

En-Route airspace in the U.S. is designated RNAV 2

8 NM Route Width/
RNAV 2 Protected Airspace

Terminal airspace is designated RNAV 1

4 NM Route Width/
RNAV 1 Protected Airspace

RNP Approach specifications require a

standard navigation accuracy of RNP 1
in the initial, intermediate and missed
RF Leg
segments and RNP 0.3 in the final (Curved)
segment.
 Performance Based Navigation:
A Key Building Block of NextGen

Conventional RNAV RNP

Narrower
Waypoints protected
areas
Current Ground-
Based Seamless
NAVAIDs Vertical
Path

Curved
Paths

Limited Design Increased Airspace Optimized

Flexibility Efficiency Use of Airspace
 What Do Waypoints Do?
• Waypoints specify a geographic location in
terms of latitude and longitude used for
route definition, or as a reporting point.

• A waypoint may be used to indicate

changes in:
– Speed
– Altitude
– Direction
 Types of Waypoints

Distance of Turn
Anticipation (DTA)

Fly-by Fly-over
 PBN Implementation

RNAV 2
RNAV 1 Q Routes & RNAV 1 RNAV and RNP AR
SIDs T Routes STARs (RNP 0.1-0.3) Approaches

An integrated procedures concept will provide a framework for integration

of PBN initiatives from departure to approach (including en route).
 Integration of Procedures
Applications for De-confliction, Optimization and Benefits

Segregate traffic flows

Between arrival/departure and
transition operations
Between primary and satellite
airport operations
Between city pairs
 Benefits of PBN

RNAV or RNP procedure implementation can provide

benefits in one or more of the following areas:

Safety Throughput Efficiency Access Environment

 Benefits of PBN
Safety

• More accurate and reliable lateral and vertical

paths.
• Enables reduced obstacle clearance criteria
Allows new three-dimensional guided arrival,
approach and departure procedures
• Enhances consistency of traffic flow.
• Reduces the risk of communication errors.
 Benefits of PBN
Throughput

• Reduced delays at airports and in crowded airspace

through:
Procedurally de-conflicted arrival and departure routes
Parallel routes
Additional ingress/egress points around busy terminal areas
Improved flight rerouting capabilities
Development of closely spaced procedures for more efficient
use of airspace
De-conflicting adjacent airport flows
 Benefits of PBN
Efficiency

• Enhanced reliability, repeatability, and predictability

of operations increases air traffic throughput.
More precise arrival, approach, and departure
procedures reduce track dispersion and facilitate
smoother traffic flows
Less restrictive climb and descent gradients with
shorter and more predictable ground tracks
 Benefits of PBN
Access

• Obstacle clearance and environmental constraints

can be better accommodated through the
application of optimized flight tracks.
• Reduced obstacle clearance criteria and more
accurate path keeping can allow improved three-
dimensional guided arrival, approach and
departure procedures at airports (lower minima).
 Benefits of PBN
Environment

• Fuel efficiencies and reduced emissions can be

achieved through:
Reduced ground delays resulting from the increased
efficiency of departure flows
Improved flight profiles
• Flight tracks can be designed to avoid noise-
sensitive areas.
 Integrated Procedure Development
En Route Terminal
Integrated STAR and SID
procedures
More efficient routing

Optimal operation of primary and

Reduced delays with increased
Multiple Q routes for better satellite airports without
throughput, predictability and
utilization of available airspace interference
flexibility of the system

More efficient management of

Seamless integration of
Direct routes between TRACON flows via additional
TRACON and En Route
busy city/TRACON pairs ingress/egress waypoints
domains

Reduction in bottlenecks and Fuel efficient

delay propagation routing Reduced overall noise and
emissions

21
PBN Real World Examples
Atlanta (ATL) Departure BEFORE RNAV

Procedures
Before and After
• Approximately 94% of daily
departures are RNAV-capable.
• More departure lanes and exit
points to the en route airspace.
Capacity gain of 9-12 departures AFTER RNAV
per hour
• Repeatable and predictable
paths.
• Benefits:
Increased throughput
Reduced departure delays
$30M annual benefit
 Post-RNAV Implementation
ATL Communications Reduced up to:
• 40% for Departure Controller with RNAV SID
• 50% for Approach Controller with RNAV STARs
Dallas/Fort Worth Pre
International (DFW) Implementation Straight-out
Conventional
Departure
Operations
• RNAV enabled diverging s
Line-up
departures at DFW. queues

• Diverging departures allow for the

application of same runway Conventional
separation standards reducing Departures

inter-departure times. Post

Diverging
Implementation
• Increase in departure capacity. RNAV
Departure
11 to 20 additional operations per hour Operations

45% reduction in delay during peak Aircraft in s

demand #1 position
Increased departure capacity results in
approximately $8.5M to $12.9M in delay
savings per year.
RNAV
Departures
Stakeholders in the PBN Procedure
Development Process
• PBN Policy and Support Procedure Proponents
Group
• Aviation System Standards National
Initiatives
• Flight Standards
• Aircraft Certification
Lead Operators
• Lead Operator
• ATC Facilities Airports
and/or
• Service Center Air Traffic Facilities
Ops Support Group
Environmental Office
Safety Management Office Industry
User Groups
• Airport Authority
Aircraft Equipage
B-737 Cockpit
MODE CONTROL UNIT (MCU)

PRIMARY FLIGHT DISPLAY (PFD)

MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAY (MFD)

CONTROL DISPLAY UNIT
(CDU)
Airbus 380 Cockpit
 Flight Management System (FMS)
• All FMS contain a navigation database, the elements from which the
flight plan is constructed. These databases are defined via the ARINC
424 standard and are normally updated every 28 days.

• FMS capabilities are an integral part of RNAV/RNP procedures.

 RNP
• A defining characteristic of RNP operations is the ability of the
aircraft to monitor the navigation performance and inform the
crew if the required aircraft performance is not met during an
operation.
• This on-board monitoring and alerting capability enhances the
pilot’s situational awareness and can enable reduced obstacle
clearance.
RNAV SID
 RNAV SID Benefits

• Shorter and more predictable ground tracks

• Reduced frequency congestion
• Repeatable flight paths
Radar Vector SID
SIDs That Use Radar Vectors to
Join RNAV Routes

• RNAV operations offer significant advantages in establishing

routes for departures.
• Radar vectoring affords flexibility of routing and allows an
aircraft to attain sufficient altitude/distance to achieve a
satisfactory navigation solution prior to using RNAV.
Air Traffic (AT) may use radar vectors to pre-position
departing aircraft prior to authorizing RNAV.
Optimized Profile Descent (OPD) RNAV STAR
 Optimized Profile Descent (OPD)
• A descent profile procedure normally associated with a
published STAR.
– It starts at Top of Descent and, to the extent possible,
comprises idle power descents that minimize thrust
required to remain on the vertical path.
– The termination point may be on an instrument
approach procedure to allow for a continuous descent
from the STAR to the runway, or at a point in space
that allows for radar vectoring.
• OPDs are designed to allow use of aircraft automation
and piloting techniques to maximize fuel efficiency and
minimize environmental impact.
 OPD
• Modern Flight Management
Systems are capable of
managing and optimizing
descents along a predetermined
path.

• OPD flight procedures use the capabilities of the aircraft FMS

to fly a continuous descent profile minimizing level-off
segments, based on the actual performance of the aircraft
under current flight conditions along a fixed lateral path.
 OPD Benefits
• Uses FMS capabilities to manage energy and
has the potential to reduce cockpit workload
• Stabilized managed descent
• Reduced pilot/controller communications
• Reduced noise
• Fuel savings
• Reduced emissions
 OPD vs Conventional Descent
Optimized Profile Descent
Level flight segments
Conventional Descent

Optimized segment(s)
Level flight segments

• Should be considered and incorporated into all RNAV

STAR development.
• Reduces the amount of time spent in level flight on
published arrival procedures (i.e., STARs).
Published procedures will principally consist of
PBN procedures, though not exclusively.
 OPD
Prior to Optimization
Profile
After Optimization

30 NM range ring 30 NM range ring

Top of descent

Top of descent
 GIBBZ1 RNAV STAR

Descent Optimized for a Variety of

Aircraft
 SLIDR DOJOE
TINIZ
280KTS
FL360
PAYSO
280KTS
EAGUL FL310
270KTS
FL270
SMAAK TOP OF
250KTS
FL220 DESCENT
HOMRR FL250
FL180
GEENO
250KTS 15000
TAIL WIND
10000
14000 NO WIND
HEAD WIND
STAR Designed
with an OPD
 RNAV Arrivals with a OPD
Atlanta OPD demo Miami OPD demo • OPDs provide large benefits for
DIRTY STAR RUTLG STAR fuel, emissions and flight time.
West Flow operations East Flow operations
11 Tracks 4 Tracks • May 2008 demos
DIRTY STAR at Atlanta (ATL)
• 360kg reduction in CO2
Track Altitude emissions per flight
Color (ft MSL)
< 2,000 RUTLG STAR at Miami (MIA)
2,000 – 4,000
4,000 – 6,000
• 460-500kg reduction in CO2
6,000 – 8,000 emissions per flight
8,000 – 10,000
10,000 – 24,000 • 600 OPD nighttime demos at
> 24,000
ATL from August – November
Vertical Profiles Vertical Profiles 2008
VIKNN and NOTRE STARs
380kg reduction in CO2
emissions per flight
Flight Management Systems
 What is an FMS?
• Most FMSs interface with multiple aircraft
subsystems for lateral and vertical
navigation (LNAV & VNAV) and flight plan
management capability.
• The core of an FMS consists of:
The Flight Management Computer (FMC)
Mode Control Panel (MCP)
Navigation Display (ND)
Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS)
Control Display Unit (CDU)
Modern B737-900
‘Glass’ Cockpit
MCP

Note: The
EFIS
FMC has no
display and is
ND controlled by
the other
CDU components.
FMS Components
Main FMS Components
• The Mode Control Panel provides input for
course, speed, heading, altitude, and
vertical speed.
• Versions have been on aircraft since early
autopilot systems (B707, B727, etc.).
 FMS Components
• The Navigation Display (left) provides a visual course display.
• The Electronic Flight Information System (right) combines
airspeed, course deviation, artificial horizon, altimeter, vertical
speed, and heading readout, combining several analog
instruments in one electronic display.
FMS Components
• The Control Display Unit is the
principal flight plan interface with
the Flight Management Computer.
• When controllers issue
clearances to change the route of
flight of an aircraft under their
control, the pilots must spend time
navigating the menus of this
component.
Sometimes, tasks that are easy to voice
and enter into ATC Automation are much
more time intensive in the cockpit.
What does this mean for you?
 What does this mean
for you?
• When pilots check on your frequency, they
will have flight plan data already entered
into the FMS.
• Should you change their clearance or
planned runway, they will have to amend
that data.
Vectors off course for traffic, then clearances to
resume are relatively simple to program if you
inform them where they can plan to resume the
procedure or routes when the situation is
resolved.
What does this mean
for you?

• If you do not tell them what to expect,

they may guess and delete too many
waypoints along the route.
• It may be a more complex task to get
the FMS reprogrammed.
What does this mean
for you?
• Changes in runway assignment are a
more complex task and involve:
Multiple CDU entries
Reviewing the new runway and procedure
information
Redoing cockpit checklist briefings
Benefit Examples
 Established on Required Navigation
Performance (RNP) -(EoR)
• With EoR, runway alignment
occurs sooner, reducing
passenger time, track miles, fuel
burn, aircraft exhaust emissions,
and noise.
• EoR doubled utilization of RNP AR
visual approaches at DEN.
• Reduced flight time by
approximately 275 hours annually.
• Investigating applications in
independent dual and triple
Instrument Landing System
approaches.
• EoR will increase arrivals by over
6 percent.
Optimized Profile Descent (OPD)
• The more accurate navigation,
along with other NextGen
procedures
Reduced fuel burn by 6 million Kg
Decreased carbon emissions by 15.7
thousand metric tons,
• Arrivals are three times more
likely to execute continuous
descents beginning at about 13
nautical miles and 2 minutes
closer to IAH and HOU.
• Arrivals from SAT experience an
average distance and time
savings of 3 nm and 41 seconds.
 Off the Ground and into the
Air Faster at DFW
• At DFW, the RNAV off the
ground procedure enables a
15-20 percent increase in
departures per hour.
• American Airlines is saving
$10-$12 million in annual
fuel costs at DFW off the
ground.
• DFW has had a 40 percent
decrease in pilot-controller
verbal communications,
reducing the risk for
miscommunication.
 A 'Win-Win' at Jackson Hole
• Aircraft flying the RNAV
procedure at Jackson
Hole Airport save over
four minutes of flight
time in flight, compared
to the traditional
approach.
• The procedure makes
the approach to the
airport safer and avoids
noise-sensitive areas in
the Grand Teton
National Park.
 Miles-Wide Success with NextGen
Collaboration in Mile-High City
• New procedures at
Denver, decreased the
most common type of go-
around by 35 percent
• United Airlines saves 90
Kg of fuel on each arrival
• The network of GNSS
procedures save 10
million Kg of fuel annually
RNAV Saves the Day in Juneau