Due to their different operational characteristics to fixed-wing aircraft, especially their lower speed and vulnerability to bad weather, rotorcraft operations inside controlled airspace and terminal manoeuvring areas (TMA) are often limited to visual flight rules (VFR) flights in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Flights under instrument flight rules (IFR) are often severely constrained or even prohibited altogether. The introduction of IFR procedures specifically designed for rotorcraft enables their safe integration into controlled airspace without adversely affecting existing fixed-wing operations.
This SESAR Solution enables the design of IFR routes at very low level, based on the ability of suitablyequipped rotorcraft to navigate very accurately using global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) using the European satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS): the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). Routes are designed to an enhanced required navigation performance (RNP) standard that allows an optimised use of the airspace within medium and dense/ complex TMAs. Routes are designed to either RNP 1 or RNP 0.3 depending on the altitude and degree of precision needed as a result of neighbouring procedures, airspace and/or terrain.
Provision of the IFR routes in controlled airspace procedurally separates rotorcraft and fixed-wing traffic. The integration of an optimised low-level IFR route network for rotorcraft can enhance flight safety and weather resilience of rotorcraft operations. Benefits for the environment may also be expected due to fewer VFR flights at very low altitude and avoidance of noise-sensitive areas thanks to narrow and/or curved lowlevel procedures.
These low-level IFR routes can be directly linked to dedicated point-in-space (PinS) arrival and departure procedures, where published, enabling simultaneous noninterfering (SNI) operations that are procedurally segregated from conventional fixedwing operations.
The solution is implemented in Estonia, Norway and Switzerland.
SJU references: #113/Release 5
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