[Avionics Magazine 12-15-2016] The Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking’s (SESAR JU) Required Navigation Performance Implementation Synchronized in Europe (RISE) project has reached completion, SESAR JU announced Thursday, Dec. 15. Under the two year project, 43 new Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures were designed and demonstrated for deployment at eight airports throughout southern Europe.
The RISE project has increased the implementation of performance based navigation throughout Europe over the past two years through collaboration and flight demonstrations. Photo: SESAR JU.
According to SESAR JU, the two-year RISE project focused on improving airport access by removing existing circle-to-land approaches, without relying on ground navigation infrastructure, lowering the weather minima and allowing shorter tracks resulting in track mile savings and continuous descent operations. NAVBLUE, the Air Traffic Management (ATM) services arm of Airbus, managed the project in collaboration with four European Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs); DCAC of the Republic of Cyprus, NAV Portugal, DSNA of France, and the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA). Air France, Novair and TAP Portugal were also involved in the more than 500 flight trials that were part of the project.
RISE featured demonstrations of RNP AR, Visual Area Navigation (RNAV), and RNP to Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures, at airports in France (Nice and Ajaccio); Portugal (Madeira and Horta); Greece (Corfu, Iraklion, Santorini, Mykonos) and Cyprus (Paphos, Larnaca).
Some specific examples of improvements achieved by the
RISE project include a newly deployed Area Navigation (RNAV) visual procedure that is 12 nautical miles shorter than the existing conventional VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) procedure at Larnaca Airport. If the VOR procedure at Larnaca is replaced entirely, it is projected tol save operators using the airport approximately 500 nautical miles per day. At Paphos airport, the western arrivals are using the RNP TO ILS and the RNAV visual, which have both resulted in fuel savings and smoother approaches.