SAN DIEGO, 4 June 2010. Major airlines are beginning to use features of the future NextGenair traffic management system in what one senior pilot calls a "NowGen" approach to aeronautical navigation that aims at reducing noise, greenhouse emissions, and wasteful fuel use.
Capt. Brian Will, director of aerospace modernization and advanced technologies at American Airlines, says airline pilots have started using Area Navigation (RNAV) procedures on some approaches to major airports.
Will made his comments today in an address to the Avionics USA conference and trade show in San Diego. RNAV is a kind of instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation that allows aircraft pilots to choose any course within a network of navigation beacons, rather than flying directly to and from the beacons.
RNAV, which is similar to required navigation performance (RNP) is intended to conserve flight distance, reduce congestion, and allow flights into airports without beacons.
Will told Avionics USA attendees that American Airlines pilots recently requested RNAV approaches to Miami International Airport as an alternative to approaches suggested by ground controllers. When controllers approved American's request, Will says several other airlines immediately requested RNAV approaches to Miami.
RNP is a type of performance-based navigation (PBN) that allows an aircraft to fly a specific path between two 3-D defined points. RNP requires on-board performance monitoring and alerting.
