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Hello and welcome to podcast number 19.
First, I would like to thank Scott Macpherson, Founder of TrainingPort.net, for taking on the host duties for the last podcast. I very much enjoyed his podcast and thanks to Kurt Edwards for taking the time to talk with Scott. If you have any comments about the podcast, please send us an email or leave a review. On the Apple podcast app, tap on TrainingPort.net then scroll to the bottom and click on ‘write a review’.
There are more changes for the North Atlantic that become effective January 30, 2020. The North Atlantic has had many changes over the last few years and this continues with increasing the size of airspace where FANS 1/A, or equivalent equipment is required.
The NAT OPS Bulletin 2017-001 Revision 04 provides graphical information on the expanded vertical and horizontal boundaries of the North Atlantic Datalink Mandate airspace or NAT DLM. The bulletin also describes the policy for flight planning into NAT DLM airspace and operating procedures.
The objectives of the North Atlantic Datalink Mandate are to increase communication, surveillance and air traffic control intervention capabilities in the NAT region. The NAT is the busiest airspace in the world, so the NAT DLM has been designed and implemented to reduce the risk of a collision and provide an acceptable level of safety.
ADS-C provides capabilities for aircraft monitoring by ATC and adherence to the cleared route. ADS-C is also invaluable for search and rescue operations.
The North Atlantic planning group has set goals for the expansion of the datalink required area which are 95% of aircraft operating in that airspace to be equipped with FANS 1/A, ADS-C and CPDLC systems by 2020. So of course, that is now so we’ll see how well they achieve their goal.
What are the NEW boundaries of the NAT DLM airspace?
The NAT has evolved through multiple phases. Phase 2A started in 2015 making FL 350 to FL 390 tracks designated as NAT datalink within the Organized track system. Phase 2B, commenced in December 2017 and added the entire NAT region to the applicable altitudes of FL 350 to FL 390.
Now Phase 2C starts on the 30th of January 2020 and expands the applicable altitudes to FL 290 to FL 410 throughout the ICAO NAT Region. 290 and 410 are included altitudes in the final phase.
So, 290 to 410 in the entire ICAO NAT Region. As a reminder, the ICAO NAT region includes:
The NAT OPS Bulletin clarifies this month’s phase 2C implementation by listing the airspace that is not Included in Datalink Mandate Airspace, even thought this airspace is part of the ICAO NAT region.
The airspace not included is:
There are other areas not included in the datalink mandate which are specific to certain ‘T’ routes as radar coverage is expanded in those areas. Refer to the bulletin for specifics on this.
If you are NOT equipped with the required equipment by January 30th, what are your flight planning options?
Simply put, you cannot operate in NAT DLM airspace, however you may request a climb or descent through datalink airspace but you may not receive clearance to do so in a timely fashion.
In order to flight plan through datalink airspace your aircraft requires the following equipment and associated approvals which includes crew training:
Let’s talk about failures.
I briefly covered the new NAT contingency procedures in a previous podcast but the important number to remember is 5NM which is the offset distance if you don’t have a clearance. In the case where you have lost FANS or CPDLC or ADS-C or RNP 4 or 10, you should have some time to notify ATC and get a revised clearance before your navigation capabilities degrade to an unacceptable level.
The NAT is very busy airspace so any failures that occur must be treated correctly.
The key with any failure is to have a plan beforehand so it’s a non-event.
Ok aviation professionals, let’s change gears for a moment…
In the news is a section of of the podcast where I talk about other happenings in aviation. I was trolling my usual websites for all things aviation and I was lead to a Mexican handling service that is announcing that all international aircraft will be ramp checked for numerous required items upon arrival into Mexico. Other resources have said that the ramp checks are random and that not every aircraft will be checked. Either way the ramp checks have already started. The handling agency is Manny Aviation Services and I did find the announcement on the OpsGroup website which is a fantastic resource.
The provider, Manny Aviation says:
The Mexican Federal Civil Aviation Agency has not provided a checklist of items that will be checked, so it is apparently up to each inspector to determine the requirements.
The list of possible required items is long but there a few notable ones, and note that the documents must be the original documents in most cases.
The list includes:
NEXT is
…and finally,
Also, if you plan multiple landings, inspections will apply at each landing.
I suggest checking with your Mexican handler for more information.
I’ll leave links in the podcast notes. Thanks for listening.
Links
NAT SPG notice
Manny Aviation
https://www.mannyaviation.com/en/blog/se-reactivan-inspecciones-en-rampa