# Presentation: 705898

## Air Traffic Organization (ATO)Prepared by Air Traffic Planning and ProceduresDRVSM Program Office, ATP-6

**Domestic Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (DRVSM)****Program Status Briefing**

## Program Contents

- RVSM – What is it?
- Factors to be addressed when flight planning
- Approved aircraft
- Non-approved aircraft
- Airspace management with RVSM
- Contingencies – turbulence, equipment failures, etc.
- Question and Answer

## Air Traffic DRVSM Responsibilities

**Notes:**
This slide represents only the Air traffic division of responsibilities in the DRVSM program.  We are one of 3 line organizations within the FAA implementing DRVSM.
Within air traffic, Bruce Johnson currently holds overall responsibility for program success.  Within the new Air Traffic Organization announced by Russ Chew on November 17 the En Route Business Unit led by Charlie Keegan is expected to assume responsibility for program success.
Beneath Bruce the office tasked with coordinating and implementing DRVSM is the Procedures and Planning Program Office led by Mike Cirillo.  Steve Creamer was detailed into Mike’s office to serve as implementation manager for the overall effort, while recognizing that other program offices had equally important roles that have to be accomplished in partnership under Bruce Johnson’s leadership.  
Within the Airspace Analysis Program Office John Timmerman has responsibility for supporting the field facilities through the National Airspace Redesign effort.  They supply modeling data and resources so that facilities can predict what will change in their respective sector and area workloads because of RVSM.  The Airspace analysis process will produce a series of recommendations on sector floors/ceiling changes, possibly making some minor airspace boundary adjustments as well.  Their recommendations will include suggested changes to Letters of Agreements and Standard Operating Procedures for the RVSM implementation.
Within the Tactical Planning Program Amanda Stott is the FAA co-lead on the Collaborative Decision-Making workgroup for RVSM.  This group is tasked with developing contingency flow management plans to prevent the sudden availability of 6 new altitudes from overwhelming a sector, area or facility with more traffic than it can work with available frequencies and staff.  They are also tasked with establishing national procedures for handling exception aircraft, i.e. non-approved aircraft that desire or have valid exceptions to the RVSM approval criteria.
Within the FAA we have employees serving as controllers, staff specialists, traffic management specialists, flight service specialists and flight data communications specialists that will be affected by implementation of RVSM.  Over 9,000 employees will be trained upon initial implementation.  ATX-100 is responsible for air traffic training policy and implementation, and Ken Kurtzell is assigned as the lead within that shop.  And, all those employees are represented by 3 different organizations in at least  4 different bargaining units.  Bill Peery is responsible for ensuring that we complete the necessary bargaining steps with all of these units.  (At this point I think it’s a good time to recognize that we’re working closely with NATCA within all of the teams we mentioned above)
Of course, our international coordination of our program is why we’re at the NARIG formation meeting, and the lead specialist for that activity is Leslie Cary.

Now is a good time to point out that all of this headquarters activity is designed to support the field managers.  We’ll talk more about what we’re delivering from HQ and what the field is responsible for in later slides.

## DRVSM Program Objectives

- Implement DRVSM from FL290-FL410 in the airspace of the United States, Alaska, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico High Offshore Airspace (including Houston and Miami Oceanic airspace) and the San Juan FIR.
- DRVSM is scheduled to be implemented on January 20, 2005 0901 UTC.
- Six new altitudes available immediately upon implementation – new “capacity” for solving separation problems vs. new “capacity” for traffic growth.

## RVSM Altitudes

## Benefits to AT Operations

- Enhances ATC Flexibility
- Mitigates conflict points
- Enhances sector throughput
- Enhances capability to manage crossing traffic flows
- Reduces controller workload
- Provides for growth in NAS enroute airspace capacity

## Joint Implementation with Mexico, Canada and Others

- Preparedness of Mexico, Canada, and the United States for a simultaneous implementation of RVSM.
- Procedural development for bordering ATC facilities.
- Consistency of training for RVSM among our three countries.

## DRVSM Environment

- Airspace will be exclusionary for DRVSM approved aircraft with the exception of accommodating DoD, Lifeguard and aircraft flown by manufacturers for certification and development
*Other* Non-RVSM approved aircraft may climb or descend in transition through RVSM airspace.
**A****LL** Non-RVSM approved operations are conducted based upon workload conditions.

**DRVSM Environment**

## ATC Procedural Issues

**ATC Procedural Issues**

- Routine RVSM procedures to manage RVSM airspace.
- Process to climb/descend non-RVSM aircraft through RVSM airspace.
- Accommodation of Lifeguard and other excepted aircraft, primarily DoD tactical or certification flights.
- Coordination responsibilities, i.e. point outs between sector strata’s.

## Separation Applied Between Non-RVSM and RVSM Aircraft Within  RVSM Airspace

- RVSM   approved  aircraft

**FL 390**

**FL 380**

- RVSM   approved  aircraft

**FL 370**

**FL 360**

- Non-RVSM  approved aircraft

**FL 350**

**FL 340**

- RVSM   approved  aircraft

**FL 330**

- RVSM   approved  aircraft

**X**

**X**

**Separation Applied Between Non-RVSM and RVSM Aircraft Within  RVSM Airspace**

## Full Data Block – Non-RVSM

- HOST, DARC and DSR modifications completed to support the visual cue for the controller display to enable a ready distinction between RVSM approved and non-RVSM approved aircraft.  *Note:  The visual cue will be applied to non-RVSM aircraft because it is anticipated that they will comprise less than 5-10% of the flights operating at RVSM altitudes.*

- N4215Y
- 350     347
- 056  380

## Severe Turbulence Mitigation

- Conditions can be forecast, but advance action is not planned in tactical (RADAR) environment.  If controllers are receiving reports of severe turbulence they should handle it as they do today.
- Aircraft encounters with severe turbulence will cause ATC action to move aircraft out of the phenomenon.  While experiencing severe turbulence, pilots can expect ATC initiated vectors to avoid merging targets at 1,000 ft. vertical separation.
- Separation standards do not change in RADAR environment.

## Light, Moderate and Wake Turbulence

- Pilot reports of turbulence less than severe will trigger higher level of awareness for controllers to issue traffic advisories when 1,000 ft. separation is applied.  Pilots may request vectors to avoid merging targets.
- Wake turbulence can be mitigated with request for offset or other action by ATC.

## Mountain Wave Activity

- Response is just like turbulence, except that the severity of mountain wave is not defined in terms that are easily described.
- Forecast MWA will not trigger suspension of RVSM.
- Pilots must assess impact of activity on altitude hold capability and request vectors to avoid merging targets.  Pilots will report clear when no longer desiring vectoring.

## AT Lessons LearnedFrom human-in-the-loop simulations and RVSM experiences in other regions of world

- Avoid making any airspace changes concurrent with DRVSM.
- Workload:
- Controllers initially assume RVSM increases workload due to additional altitudes
- Actual experience indicates it ***reduces*** workload for high altitude sectors
- More altitudes, but ***no more aircraft***
- Fewer conflictions, less vectoring, and less verbal communications

## Lessons Learned (cont.)

- Non-approved aircraft in RVSM airspace must be managed
- EUROCONTROL experience: 1 non-approved usually can be managed. More than 1 can become unviable.
- Adds to controller’s cognitive workload
- Misunderstanding of exclusionary airspace: applies during slow traffic periods ***including*** when workload is light
- Controllers tend to want to clear non-approved aircraft into RVSM airspace if their sector can accommodate

## Slide 17

## Conclusion

- FAA committed to successful DRVSM implementation in the National Airspace System.
**Program involves everyone in FAA**
**New “ATO”, Flight Standards**
**Regional and Field Facility Commitment & Involvement Key to Successful Implementation**

**Conclusion**

## More Information...

- http://www.metronaviation.com/cdm/Workgroups/drvsm.html

- _[www.USDRVSM.com](http://www.usdrvsm.com/)_

**DRVSM Website**

**More Information...**

**CDM Website**