# Presentation: 277043

## RVSM Airspace AnalysisforCDM DRVSM Work Group – Houston Meeting

**January 27, 2004**

## Purpose

**Discuss airspace analysis approach to support RVSM implementation**
**Provide preliminary data on airspace changes**
**Appended - Background information on RVSM implementation in Domestic U.S.**

## RVSM Airspace Analysis

**Airspace analysis through National Airspace Redesign (NAR) processes**
**RVSM Airspace Analysis Kickoff**
**All U.S. Centers and San Juan CERAP**
**Airspace and Traffic Management focal points**
**October 28 – 29, 2003**
**Airspace analysis completion date  - 7/1/04**

## RVSM Airspace Analysis Schedule

**Airspace Kickoff**

**Frequency Assessment**

**Define Airspace, SOP/LOA & automation changes**

**DRVSM Go/Delay**

**Revise SOP/LOA and automation**

**Implement DRVSM**

**Internal Analysis**

**Inter-facility Analysis**

**Modeling (SDAT) as needed**

- 10/28

- 11/1 - 12/31

- 12/15 - 2/28

- 2/15 - 6/30

- 2/15 - 6/30

- 6/15 - 8/31

- 9/15 - 1/20

- 9/15

- 1/20

**NAR tasking ends here:**
**July 1, 2004**

## DRVSM Assumptions	

**RVSM aircraft will choose to fly from 1,000 -5,000 feet higher.**
**Current intra-facility and inter-facility altitude crossing procedures may need to be revised**
**Non-RVSM certified aircraft will operate between FL250 - 280**
**No increases in number of sectors****  **
**RVSM should simplify air traffic control workload of equivalent volumes.**
**NAR support will be available for intra-facility and inter-facility meetings as needed.**

## Internal Airspace Analysis

**Timeframe:  Nov 1-Dec 31, 2003**
**Traffic Analysis:**
**RVSM certified:  Traffic breakdown by new flight levels**
**Non-RVSM certified:**
**FL250 - FL280**
**Minimal aircraft requesting FL430 and above**
**U. S. Military (tactical), lifeguard and state aircraft exemptions**

## Internal Airspace Analysis:  Stratification Considerations 

**Impacts of changes in aircraft operating altitudes and distributions among altitudes**
**Impacts of changes to cardinal altitudes**
**Ensuring FL300, 320, 340, 360, 380 & 400 are assigned to appropriate sectors**
**Other reasons to change vertical stratification?**
**Will stratification changes affect frequency service volumes?**
**Impacts of non-certified aircraft added within  FL250 - 280 environment to stratification **

## Milestone #1:  

**Report results of internal facility analysis to Nat’l RVSM Airspace Leads: **
***List of sectors with potential impacts to stratification***
***List of internal procedures potentially impacted***
***List of potential frequency service volume changes*****  **
**Draft due to Nat’l Airspace Leads by 12/18/03**
**Copy to facility RVSM focal points**
**Final Report due NLT 12/31/03**
**Leads will provide desired report format**

## Milestone 1 Status

**Reports summary from 22 facilities **

**Follow-up activities on-going **
**Note: New sectors outside of RVSM program**

## External Analysis

**Timeframe:  Dec 15, 2003-Feb 28, 2004**
**Stratification analysis – similar to internal analysis, but between facilities**
**LOA’s**
**Historical Traffic Management Initiatives **
**Involve Canadian/Mexico facilities**
**Initial coordination meetings - early Jan.**
**Two national meetings – half at each**
**Some mid-continent facilities to attend both**

## Milestone #2

**Report results of external facility analysis to RVSM Airspace Leads: **
***Update - sectors with stratification impacts***
***Update – internal procedures impacted***
***LOA procedures impacted***
***Update - potential frequency service volume changes*****  **
**Report sectors that are proposed to change**
**Include categorization (H, M, L)**
**Report to Nat’l Airspace Leads NLT 2/28/04**
**Copies: NAR PMO, MITRE, Regional ALT members & facility RVSM focal points**
**Nat’l Airspace Leads will provide desired report format**

## Modeling

**Timeframe:  Feb 15-June 30, 2004**
**SDAT (analytical tool) level,  as needed**
**MITRE support**
**Send proposed sector, LOA/SOP changes.**
**MITRE will supply revised data bases.**

## Final Report

**Report:**
***Sectors with stratification changes – include description of change***
***Procedure changes – include description of change***
**Due NLT 7/1/2004**
**Provide to Nat’l RVSM Airspace Leads**
**Copy to facility RVSM focal points and regional ALT members**

## Implementation of RVSM

- _Not a part of this tasking_**  **
**Responsibility assigned to Air Traffic Manager (ATM)**
**ATM will task implementation of:**
**Revision of LOA’s & SOP’s**
**Implement vertical boundary changes**
**Adaptation changes**
**Training**
**LMR **
**Implementation Date:  Jan 20, 2005**

## Airspace Related Activities

**Briefed ASR concerning potential frequency impacts**
**Briefed AOS concerning foreseen automation impacts**
**Participated in Tri-lateral meeting with Mexico and Canada**
**Follow-on bi-lateral meetings:**
**Canada will participate in U.S. January Coordination meetings**
**Meeting of Mexico with ZLA, ZAB and ZHU planned for February 18-20**
**Identified potential RNAV/RNP equipment filing suffix issue**
**Advanced Notice to be contained in January 22 NOTAM publication**

## Discussion

## DRVSM Program Background

## DRVSM Program Objectives

**Implement DRVSM from FL290-FL410 in the airspace of the United States, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico where the FAA provides air traffic services 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.**

## 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.

## RVSM Altitudes

## Projection of RVSM Compliance Jan 2005

**Projection of RVSM Compliance**** Jan 2005**

**Notes:**
Important to point out the target is % of flights, not % of eligible aircraft.

## N. Canada RVSM results

**N. Canada RVSM results**

## European RVSM results

* *

**European RVSM results**

## Memorandum of UnderstandingFAA and DoD

**Memorandum of Understanding signed between FAA and DoD in December 2001.**
**Agreement governs the use of DRVSM Airspace by DoD aircraft.**
**Policy:  The FAA will accommodate non-compliant DoD aircraft operation within DRVSM airspace.**
***	***_***Note:***_***  Large DoD transport and tanker fleets are already RVSM compliant***

**Notes:**
No special notes here.  Drazen or Leslie may want to raise issue of “state aircraft”, but I think we’ll hear that they are not an issue.

## Major Milestones

**Published Final Rule            ****October 27, 2003**
**Safety Assessment                 July 2004**
**Operational Readiness         September 2004**
**    ****Assessment (Go/Delay)**
**RVSM Implementation         January 2005 **

**Notes:**
Good to point out that we’re focusing our efforts on preparing for the Sep 04 decision.

## FAA HQ Deliverables (1)

**International Agreements with Mexico, Canada and Caribbean States**
**National Procedures, Order Changes and Briefing Guides**
**NAS Automation Changes**
**Analysis support within Airspace Redesign for sectorization changes**

**Notes:**
They’ve seen this and the next 3 slides several times so I wouldn’t spend much time on them.

## FAA HQ Deliverables (2)

**ATFM Flow Plans for Initial Operations**
**Non-Approved Aircraft biggest liability**
**Flight Planning compression could overload sectors**
**Training Plan templates**
**National CADRE training instruction**
**Facilitation of local coordination to prepare for implementation (workshops, telecons, templates)**

## FAA HQ Deliverables (3)

**Labor I&I negotiation**
**Funding support for simultaneous national training effort**
*Any other assistance required to keep program on track!*

## Regional & Facility Deliverables

**Revisions to Virtually all En Route LOAs and SOPs**
**Local validation that all NAS automation changes thoroughly tested and properly implemented **
**Simultaneous DYSIM Training by CADRE of Instructors for over 9,000 controllers**
**Local labor I&I on issues not covered by national agreements**
**Local coordination with industry within established forums**
*Leadership to keep program on track!!*

**Notes:**
PLEASE emphasize the key role we think the facilities will have in implementing RVSM on time:

De-conflicting with other programs in their facilities
Coordinating issues with adjacent facilities
Accomplishing the training for their facility on time.

All of us in HQ are ultimately here only to support the folks in the field – part of our objective in NARIG is developing the processes so our respective facilities can work out their procedures together well.