Emma Kelly/LONDON
Eurocontrol's Provisional Council has approved the master plan for the introduction of reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) in Europe, paving the way for capacity improvements in the continent's airspace in 2002.
The RVSM plan calls for the introduction of six more levels between flight level 290 and 410 from 24 January, 2002 in the airspace of 39 European states. Airline associations had requested an earlier implementation date and Eurocontrol is studying the feasibility of introducing RVSM in certain areas as early as March 2001. RVSM is expected to produce an immediate 20% rise in capacity.
Minimum vertical separation between aircraft will be reduced to 1,000ft (300m) from 2,000ft at the six upper flight levels - 30,000ft, 32,000ft, 34,000ft, 36,000ft, 38,000ft and 40,000ft. Only aircraft with altimetry meeting certain accuracy requirements will be allowed at the RVSM levels.
Glasgow, UK-based Real Time Engineering (RTEL) is developing a system to ensure that the changes to the altimetry specifications achieve the required improvement in height accuracy.
The system - the wide area total vertical error monitoring unit (TMU) - will track aircraft height-keeping accuracy at three sites in Europe. The system will involve aircraft transmitting replies to radar interrogations. The replies will be received by ground-based stations, with height monitoring equipment, which calculate the position and true height of aircraft. The measures will be correlated against meteorological conditions to estimate the total vertical error.
RTEL's unit has been operating for three years at Strumble in Wales, monitoring aircraft flying at North Atlantic RVSM levels.
The TMU data will be used by Eurocontrol to confirm aircraft height-keeping performance, to support the safety assessment in July 2001, before the decision in September 2001 on whether RVSM can be implemented on schedule.
Source: Flight International
