Differences in faa vs icao procedures
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There are differences between FAA and ICAO procedures regarding radio communications, VOR checks, transponder requirements, oxygen requirements, IFR minimum equipment, wake turbulence separation criteria, high and low altitude airspace fixes, textual descriptions of SIDs, holding pattern timing, holding speeds, two and three fix holding patterns, setting QNH on altimeters, and loss of radio communications procedures. Adhering strictly to ICAO phraseology and procedures is important for safety when flying internationally. National regulations may vary slightly from ICAO standards in some countries.
Differences in faa vs icao procedures
- 1. DIFFERENCES IN FAA vs ICAO PROCEDURES 1. Radio Communications: FAA -Phraseologyandradiocommunicationproceduresare differentinmanyrespects.Ingeneral, the FAA systemismore prone to errors,especiallyif the pilot'snative language isnotEnglish.Many ICAOrecommendationsare notenforcedbythe FAA. ICAO- Strictadherence toproperterminologyisrequired(diagonal versusslash,zeroversusoh, etc.).Americanslangprobablywill notbe understood. ICAOPhraseologymaynotbe familiartomanyU.S. pilots;some examplesmightinclude:“Orbit” - to circle 360°, “Join”- to enterthe trafficpattern,“Vacate” - to leave the runwayoran altitude, “Backtrack” - to taxi the opposite directiononarunway,“Line up” - to taxi intopositionfortakeoff and awaitclearance,“HoldingPoint” - taxi to,butholdshort of,the runway. Note the term“Overshoot”- to make a missedapproach,isa UK term, not an ICAOone.Since you can overshootfinal,overshootanaltitude,ICAOchanged“Overshoot”to“Go Around”whenusedin relationtothe missedapproach. 2. VOR Check: Accordingto the FAA,a VORreceivermustbe checkedevery30 days. ICAOdoesnot require thischeck.Inmanycountries,the regularVORcheckislefttothe mechanics that iswhyICAO doesnotrequire thatthe pilotdothe check. 3. Transponder: FAA - In the USA,a mode A transponderisrequiredforall flightswithin30MILES of an airport with CLASSB airspace,above 10.000 FT MSL, inCLASSC airspace,and within10 NMof designated airports. ICAO- Transponderrequirementsare locallydefined inICAOandmaybe different. 4. OxygenRequirements: FAA - Accordingto FARPART 91, passengersneedoxygenabove 15,000 FT MSL. Crew mustuse oxygenabove 14,000 FT MSL. Between12,500 and 14,000 FT MSL, the crew must use oxygenexcept for the first30 minutes. ICAO- Some statesare different.JAR-OPS1.385,for example,requiresthe crew touse oxygen continuouslyif the cabinaltitudeexceeds10,000 feetfora periodinexcessof 30 minutes,orif the cabinaltitude exceeds13,000 feet. 5. IFR MinimumEquipment: Some IACOregulationsare muchmore demandingthanthe FAA requirements.DispatchinganICAO aircraft withoperational equipmentbelowICAOminimumstandardsisnotallowed.However, transportcategoryaircraft mustcomplywiththeircompanyMEL. 6. Wake Turbulence SeparationCriteria: a. FAA - Wake turbulence separationcriteria: i -Enroute/Arriving:heavyfollowingheavy- 4 mileslarge followingheavy - 5 mileslarge followingB- 757 - 4 miles
- 2. ii - Departing:The same above separationsapplyinaradar environment.Inanon-radar environmentanyaircraftdepartingbehindaheavyora B-757 must waittwominutes. b. ICAO- Wake turbulence separationcriteria: i -Enroute/Arriving:HeavyfollowingHeavy7.4KM(4NM). Mediumfollowing Heavy - 9.3KM(5NM) ii -non-radarenvironmentamediumaircraftmaynotlanduntil 2 minutesaftera heavyaircraft. iii - Departing:a mediumaircraftmustwaittwominutesaftera heavyaircraft. 7. High and LowAltitude Airspace Fixes: FAA - These donot existinthe USA. ICAO- These are commonin Latinand SouthAmerica.Thisisnot so muchan ICAOprocedure difference asitisa chartingtechnique of Jeppesen.There are certainenroute andareacharts inthis part of the worldwhere boththe Highaltitude andthe Low altitude airwaysare onthe same charts (as opposedtoseparate HighandLow altitude chartsthatwe are familiarwithinthe USA).The airwaywill have twonames(e.g.G633 and UG 633) andthe airspace fixeswill be shownwithan “low”or a “high”triangle toindicate whethertheyare a low or a highaltitude fix. 8. Headingor Track: Whena flightsegmentislabeled“hdg”,orwhena textual descriptionof apublishedroute (SID, STAR,...) readsto turn to a published“heading”, doyouhave tocorrect for wind? a. FAA - SID: No,mustnot. See note (1),(2) justbelow.STAR:No(butyou are allowedtocorrect for windif RNAV equipped) Enroute:Yourchoice:yesorno (1) WhenATC instructsyouto flya heading(e.g.runwayheading,radarheading) youmustnot correct for wind. (2) Note onJeppesencharts:if the radar vectorsymbol isprintedonthe chart, youmustnot correct for wind. b. ICAO- SID:Yes. See note (3) justbelow. STAR: Yes.Enroute:Your choice:yesor no. (3) See Pans-Ops8168. Not all ICAOstatesfollow theserulesexactly,minorvariationsexist. B. FLIGHT PLANNING 9. Fuel RequirementforAlternateAirports: FAA - Accordingto the FAA,youdo notneedfuel toflyto an alternate airportIf the forecast weather at the destinationis:ceiling2000 FT, visibility3MILES, from1 hour before the ETA until 1 hour after the ETA. ICAO- Each country can be different.A typical JAA approvedprocedureis:A suitable alternate must be available foreachIFRflightunless:-Fightdurationislessthan6 hours. -A VMC approach is possible fromthe MSA,basedona forecastvalidfromone hour before the ETA until one hourafter the ETA. -Twoseparate runwaysare available withapproachproceduresbasedonseparate aids. 10. HoldingFuel: FAA - The FAA requiresholdingfuel for45 MIN at normal cruisingspeed. ICAO- The ICAOrequirementisfor45 MIN at holdingspeed(thisislessfuel).Note - thismayapply mainlytolightaircraft.For transportcategoryaircraft, eachcompany’sFOMhas fuel requirements that applyto that carrierworldwide.
- 3. 11. Alternate WeatherMinimums: FAA - Standardminimumsforfilingasalternate inthe USA are: ceiling600 FT + visibility2MILES (precisionapproach),andceiling800 FT + visibility2MILES (non-precisionapproach).Note –TAG pilotsmustuse alternate minimumsrequiredinouroperatingspecs:atanairport withone operational CAT1 rwyadd 400-1 to the minimums.WithtwooperationalCAT1 runwaysadd200’ to highestand1/ 2 mile tohighest,andadd400’ to lowestand1 mile tolowest.Compare anduse the lowest. ICAO- There are nosuch standardminimumsaccordingtoICAO.JAA minimumsforoperatorswith JARapproval are typically:(Type of Approach/PlanningMinima)-CAT2and CAT 3 approach/ plan usingCAT 1 minima. -CAT1 approach / planon usingpublishednon-precisionminima. -Non- precisionapproach/planon usingpublishednon-precisionminimacorrectedasfollows:MDA + 200FT andRVR + 1000M. -Circlingapproach/Planon usingcirclingminima. ICAOaircraft maybe dispatchedwhenthe destinationisclosedandwhenbothrequiredalternates are downto CATlll minima.The solutionforICAOpilotsistouse the minimaspublishedby Jeppesen.However,itisup to the captainto decide the course of action. 12. For FilingasAlternate: FAA - The requirementisthatif analternate airporthas more that one operational CAT1 approach that isto be considered,the approachesmustbe todifferentrunways. IACO- IACOallowsreciprocal approachestothe same runwaytobe considered.ButJAROps requirementsinEurope are nowthe same as the FAA. C. DEPARTURE 13. Taxi Instructions: FAA - Clearance totaxi to a runwayalso includespermissiontocrossanyrunwaysalongthe taxi route. ICAO- Clearance totaxi to a runwayusuallydoesinclude permissiontocrossanyrunwaysalongthe taxi route,howeversome states,and/orairportsare different.AtMilanforexample,taxi clearance doesNOTgive permissionto crossotherrunways. 15. Noise Abatement: a. FAA:Has no such procedures.However,some airportsdorequire special procedures,e.g.KSNA, JohnWayne Airport,Calif.hascityregulationsfornoise abatement. b. ICAO:Publishestwoprocedures:A andB. 1. ICAO publishesprocedureA (1500ft thrust reduction,3000 ft acceleration),whichmanyairports require (Jeppesencharts10-4) 2. ICAO procedure B(1000ft accelerationtoVzf,thenclimbthrustandat 3000ft accelerate toclimb speed) D. ENROUTE 16. ChangesinTAS versusCruisingSpeed: FAA -NotifyATCif yourcruisingspeedvariesbyplusorminus5%.
- 4. ICAO-NotifyATCif yourTAS variesinexcessof 5%. 17. Loss of RadioCommunications: The cruisingaltitude afteralossof all radiocommunicationsisdifferent: FAA - Requiresthe pilottoflyhighestof:lastassignedaltitude,expectedaltitude,orMEA. ICAO- Requiresthe pilottoflythe altitude filedinthe flightplan. 14. Textual Descriptionof aSID: FAA - To flyan SID inthe USA, youneedat leasta textual descriptionof it. IACO- Thisis notrequiredaccordingtoICAO.France,for instance,publishesmanySIDswithno wordingat all. 18. MinimumVertical Rates: FAA - Requiresaminimumdescentrate of 1,000 FPM. Accordingto the FAA,whencomplyingwitha climbor descentinstruction,if apilotcannotmaintaina500 FPMrate, ATC mustbe advised.Asa result,duringdescentinanon-pressurizedaircraft,a500 FPMrate isthe minimum(ATC) andthe maximum(non-pressurizedairplane). IACO- For ICAO,there isnosuch thingas a minimumclimbrate,butcontrollersare “normal” vertical ratesforthe type of aircraft.Advise of deviatingfromthis.If a rate restriction(minimumor maximum) applies,itwill be includedinthe routine instructionsgivenbyATC.(Exception:Finland has it’sownnational rules).Note the UKmayrequire aminimumdescentrate of 2,000 FPM. 19. VFRon Top: FAA - In the USA,both VFRand IFR rulesapplyinthiscase. ICAO- In mostothercountriesflyingVFRontopitis not permitted.Whenitispermitted,onlyVFR rulesapply. 20. Descents- QNHAltimeterSetting: FAA - Do not setlocal altimeter(QNH) untildescendingbelow FL180. ICAO- The PublishedICAOprocedure istoresetaltimeterswhenpassingTL(or TA whenclimbing). However,thisdependsonthe country - e.g.the UK expectsyoutosetQNH on the aircraft’s altimetersassoonas youare givenadescenttoan altitude thatisbelow the transitionlevel,even thoughyoumightbe presentlyatFL350 E. HOLDING 21. Racetrack versusHoldingPattern: FAA - In the USA,there is nodifference betweenthe two. ICAO- Accordingto ICAO,there are differencesregardingthe maximumaircraftspeed(depending on the approach category),the timingandthe inboundtrackinterception(the lastone isVERY IMPORTANT!!). 23. HoldingPatternTiming: FAA - Holdingpatternleglengthismeasuredoneitherthe inboundorthe outboundleginthe USA. Whenusing“timing”the standardlength,measuredonthe inboundleg,isone minute below ator
- 5. below14,000’; and1-1/ 2 minute above 14,000’. WhenusingDME the lengthismeasuredonthe outboundleg. IACO-Holdingpatternleglengthismeasuredonthe outboundleg.Standardlengthisthe same as for the FAA - one minute below 14000’ and 1 -1/ 2 minute 14000’ and above,butapplicable onthe Outboundleg.Due toconfinedairspace inEurope there are manyholdingpatternswhere the length of the outboundlegisdeterminedbyDME,not by timing.This ispublishedonthe chartor approach plate andis indicatedinone of twoways - it iseithershownasa DME notation(D17/ 22, indicating5 milesinthiscase),orby the additionof a secondfix. FAA: i - minimumholdingaltitude through6,000FT: 200 KIAS. ii - above 6,000 through14,000 FT: 230 KIAS(except210 KIASwhere published). iii - above 14,000 FT: 265 KIAS. ICAO: i - to and including6,000 FT: 210 KIAS. ii - above 6,000’ to and including14,000’ : 220 KIAS.(Note - cat A andB only:170 KIASbelow 14,000 FT) iii - above 14,000 to and including20,000 FT: 240 KIAS. iv- above 20,000 to and including34,000 FT: 265 KIAS.v - above 34,000 FT: M 0.83. 22. HoldingSpeeds: By the way,the Smithsandthe HoneywellFMCsdoNOT buildtheirDME racetracks basedonthe outboundleg,butthe inboundleg!(ThankstoCapt.Bill Bulfer,authorof the “FMC User’sGuide”for thistip). 24. Two andThree Fix HoldingPatterns: FAA - Two or three fix holdsdonotexistinthe U.S.A.,exceptforafew inAlaska. IACO- Two fix holdingpatternsare locatedall overEurope,LatinandSouthAmerica,the Caribbean, Greenland,etc.France evenhassome three fix holdingpatterns.The secondfixcanserve one of several purposes:asan“entry”fix flownover one time only,toenterthe holdingpattern,andnever flownoveragain;as an indicatorforthe lengthof the outboundleg;servingasbothan entryfix and thento indicate the lengthof the outboundleg.Note -The “highlevel holding”,shownonthe Brussels10-1 Areachart, overBrussels(BUB) and Nicky(NIK) isa“procedure”and as such,bothfixes mustbe flownovereverycircuitof the holdingpattern.Thisisthe ONLYtwofix holdthatI have beenable tolocate,where the secondfix mustbe flownovereachorbitof the pattern. 25. MHA / MAX IAS inHoldingPatterns: FAA - Thisis rarelyshownonpublishedholdingpatternsinthe U.S.,almostall holdingpatternsare treatedthe same. ICAO- There are manyholdingpatternswhichhave minimumholdingaltitudes(MHA) orspeed restrictions(MAXIAS).Thisinformation,whichisunique tothatpattern,isprintedonthe chart adjacentto the holdingpattern. 26. EFCs whenHoldingInstructionsare Issued: FAA - ATC inthe USA will alwaysassignanEFC whenissuingholdinginstructions. ICAO- You maynot be givenan EFC (thisiscommoninSouthAmerica).Inthe UK no EFC will be givenforholdsof 20 minutesorless.EFCswill notbe giveninBelgiumandGermanyif delayisless
- 6. than 10 minutes. F. ARRIVALS 27. SettingQNHon Altimeters: FAA - whengivenaloweraltitude setQNHwhenleavingFL180. ICAO- whengivenaloweraltitude thatisbelow the transitionlevel,setQNHeventhoughyoumay be at a much higheraltitude.The UKCAA recommendationsare thatthisisrecommendedwayto operate. Note:ICAODoc. 8168 Volume 1,Part VI,Chapter2, Sec.2.5.3.1. Statesthat youcan setQNH while above TransitionLevel afteryouhave receivedaclearance fromATC to execute the instrumentapproach andyoustart the descenttoan altitude below TransitionLevel. At FedEx whenoutside the U.S.the altimeterissettoQNH whenclearedbelow the transitionlevel and to QNE whenclearedabove transition,regardlessof theircurrentaltitude unlessthere are interveningcrossingrestrictions.If there are,theydelayresettingaltimetersuntiltheyhave passed those restrictions. KLM’s JAA approvedFOMcontainsthe procedure tochange immediatelytoQNHonce cleared belowthe TL,not to waituntil passingthe TL. However,thisisabreach of ICAOprocedures,which state that you can onlychange to QNHwhenabove TL if clearedforthe approach.But KLM simply dropsthe approachclearance requirement,andhastheirFOMapprovedthatway. Perthe Chief ATC,Cape TownInt’l Airport:The SouthAfricaAIP,page ENR1.7-1 ff,statesthat “... Vertical positionof aircraftabove the transitionlevel,maybe byreference toaltitude (QNH) providedthat,afterthe descenttolandiscommenced,level flightabove the transitionaltitude is not indicatedtoanticipated."NOTE-See item20above,foradditional information. 28. DescentCrossingRestrictions FAA - A laterclearance removesapreviouscrossingrestrictionunlessthatcrossingrestrictionis repeatedagain. ICAO:Unlike inthe USA,a laterclearance doesNOTremove the crossingaltitude restrictiongivenin an earlierclearance.e.g.inEurope,asecondcrossingrestrictiondoesnoteliminate the requirement to complywiththe firstrestriction.A typical example wouldbe London - ATCinstruction“cross40 milesfromBNN at FL200”, aftercommencingdescenttomeetthisrestrictionyouare toldto“cross 25 milespriortoBNN at FL150”. You must still complywiththe firstrestriction. 29. ClassB Airspace: FAA - ClassB airspace has a FAA 200 kt speedlimitandlarge turbine poweredaircraftoperatingto and froma primary airportare prohibitedfromoperatingbelow the floorof anyportionof ClassB airspace,unlessspecificallyauthorizedbyATC.A visual approachdoesnotconstitute authorization to operate belowthe floorof aClassB airspace.A visual approachthroughClassB airspace should be conductedonlywithreference tothe chartdepictingthe ClassBairspace,etc. ICAO- Doesnot exist inICAOprocedures. 30. Cruise Clearance: FAA - Accordingto the FAA,a cruise clearance assignsapilota blockof airspace from the minimum
- 7. IFR altitude (MEA) uptoand includingthe altitudespecifiedinthe cruise clearance.Climband descentwithin the blockisatthe discretionof the pilot. IACO- Accordingto ICAO,minimumandmaximumaltitudesare givenbyATC. 31. PenetrationsandCDAs: FAA - These are not usedinthe USA. ICAO- Penetrationsare verycommononapproachesinBrazil,whilethe CDA can be foundinthe NetherlandsandGermany.Penetrationsare indicatedbythe little boxesformingadashedline on the approach plate andhave a specifiedspeedandrate of descentforthe approach.CDAs on the otherhand are shownby a solidline withthe notationthatthe descentpathisbythe pilot.Theyare designedtobe usedwithVNAV.(See attachedexample.) 32. AlternativeArrivals: 33. Maneuveringtopositionforthe entrysectorbefore the IAF:(Thisreferstothe 30° cone of entry.) FAA:ATC doesnotexpectyouto maneuver.Manycontrollersoutside the USA don'tevenknow that there isan ICAOentrysector.This situationispotentiallydangerousandconfusing! ICAO:The entrysector isvalidfora procedure turnor a base turn, notfor a racetrack reversal.The ICAOrule issimple:if youare NOT inthe entrysector,you can NOT flythe approachreversal as charted(procedure orbase turn).If youare outside the entrysector,canyou maneuvertoput yourself inside the entrysector?Youhave to,otherwise youmustnotflythe approach.ICAO,does not describe whichmaneuvertoexecute.Soyouhave onlyone option:Call ATC,tell themwhatyou needandflyintothe entrysector. FAA - These are not usedinthe USA. ICAO- Thisis commononarrivalsin SouthAmericaandinFrance. The alternative routingisshown by a seriesof small boxes(formingadashedline)andthisroutingisinadditiontothe normal routing.(See attachedexample.) Sabenateachestheirpilotsafewtricks onhow tomaneuverefficiently.Theyare: 1.Requestaroutingdirectto the fieldata safe altitude.If visual,requestavisual approachand forgetthe instrumentapproach.If notvisual afew milesbefore the field,turntothe IAF,you will be inthe entrysector.Of course,youneeda CLEARANCEto do so 2.If the MAP isa fix youcan navigate to,requestadirectroute to the MAP and try the same trick as above. 3. If these choicesare nota goodsolution,requesttodeviate about4NMoff track to positionfor the approach,most controllerswillaccept.ThisIsa good solutioninIMC,howevercheckyoursafety altitude. 4. If youare outside the entrysector,youare probablysetup fora straight-in.Lookatthe approach chart, verifyif youcan flya straight-innon-precision.Carefullycheckif youcan safelyjointhe FAF straight-in.Inthe radar environmentof NRT,thisiseasy. 5.If all else failsandasuitable holdingoverthe IAFisavailable,requestentryinthe holdtoposition for the approach,but thiscostsextra time andisnot veryefficient.Itiskindof a "lastresort" solution. 34. Course Reversal:
- 8. FAA -Has “holdinginlieu”withamax of 45°. This referstothe cone of entry:ICAOversus “convenientlyaligned”forthe FAA. ICAO- Has race track entrywitha max of 30°. The onlytwoapprovedICAOmethodsforcourse reversal are:80°/ 260° and 45°/180°. 35. TouchdownZone RVRreportingSystemFailure: FAA - Allowancesforone RVRtransmisommetertobe inoperative. ICAO/JAA - Language (see DraftOPsSPECsC78) that will say,"...incircumstanceswhere the touchdownzone RVRreportingsystemhasfailed,isinaccurate,orisnot available,the certificate holderisauthorizedtosubstitute pilotassessmentof equivalentRVR..."Thisreallyputsmore responsibilityforthe go/no-godecisiononthe PIC. G. APPROACHES 36. CeilingRequired: FAA - Ceilingsare nolongerrequiredinthe USA,visibilityiscontrolling. ICAO- Ceilingsare still requiredbysome countries.If theyare,the approachplate will have ablack box withthe words“CeilingRequired”inwhite,locatedbelow the profile view.The minimumswill be statedshowingboth“Ceiling - Visibility”.Ceilingisnotrequiredforthe JAA,exceptwhenmarked on the approach plate. a. FAA - Thisis controllinginthe USA,andis generallystatedinfeet,RVR,ormiles(e.g.RVR18 or 1/ 2). b. ICAO- May be giveninmiles,meters(m),orinkilometers(km) - (e.g.vis1600m;2.4km). 38. DH on CAT IIIautoland. 39. NonPrecisionApproach: FAA - Approachplatesgive stepdownaltitudesandaMDA. There is no“ribbon”on the approach plate whichwouldenable astabilized,constantdescentNPA approach.A veryfew airlines(UAL amongthem) still doan unstabilized“diveanddrive”type of NPA approach,divingforthe MDA and thenflyingalonglevel atthe MDA until the PDP(thistechnique hashighexposure forCFIT). ICAO- Approachplateshave a “ribbon”betweenthe planview andthe profileview.Withthe introductionof the B-747, almost30 yearsago, BEA (now BA) decidedthatflyinganunstabilized “dive anddrive”NPA approachwas unsafe.Theypioneeredthe “ribbon”ontheirapproachplates (throughtheirin-housechartcompany - Aerad;now all chart manufacturers provide thisfeature) whichmakespossible astabilized,constantdescentNPA approach.The ribbonallowsthe PNFto constantlymonitorthe vertical profile of the the flightbycheckingitsaltitude againsteitherDMEor againsttime (every20 or 30 seconds).Whenthe aircraftreachesthe MDA the PF treatsit as a DH and eithercontinues(requiringnochange inthe stabilizedapproach) ormakesanimmediate missed approach.At no time doesthe aircraftflylevel atthe MDA, therefore there ismuchlessexposureto CFIT.Note that neitherglass,norV-NAV,are requiredforthistechnique.The majorityof the airlines inthe worlduse thistype of NPA.(See attached“ribbon”example.) 37. Visibility: FAA - Notrequired.The CATII DecisionHeight(DH) isusedasan AlertHeight.There isno
- 9. requirementevertosee the runwayandthe landingmaybe made “blind”. ICAO- Some countries(Italy) still require aDH onCAT IIIautolandingsanda missedapproachmust be made if the runwaycan not be seenat the DH. DH onCAT 3 autolandscandependonthe aircraft type. 40. Contact Approach: FAA - Pilotmuststayclear of cloudsand have 1 mile visibility. ICAO- A contact approachdoesnot existforICAO,andthisprocedure maynot be trainedorflownin some Europeancompanies. 41. Visual Approach: MissedApproach:A visual approachin ICAOhasno missedapproachsegment.Itissimplynot defined.However,some Europeanairlinessuggestthattheirpilotsdothe followingmissed approach procedure froma visual approach:InICAOoperationsthe missedapproachfromavisual approach isto jointhe trafficpatternon a leftdownwindat1500 feetAGL(jetsandturboprops) or at 1000 feetAGL (piston),notthe instrument(missed) approachprocedure youwere perhaps planning. 42. SidestepApproach: FAA - If two runwaysare lessthan1200 FT apart, a sidestepapproachmaybe published.Once the aircraft isvisual,the pilotshouldsidestepassoonaspossible,toalignthe aircraftwiththe landing runway(at or above MDA). ICAO- There isno such procedure underICAOregulations. FAA - AnFAA air trafficcontrollermayassigna visual approachto a pilotflyingonanIFR flightplan. Separationfromproceedingtrafficbecomesthenthe pilot'sresponsibility.Radar service is automaticallyterminatedwhenthe pilotisadvisedtocontactthe tower.A pilotclearedfora visual approach maynot descendbelowthe floorof the CLASSB airspace. ICAO- Accordingto ICAO,anair trafficcontrollermaynotassigna visual approachtoan IFR flight, unlessthe pilotrequestssuchanapproach.Separationservices(sometimesreduced) frompreceding trafficwill still be providedbyATC,anditremainsthe controller'sresponsibilitytokeepthe aircraft incontrolledairspace. Minimarequiredfora visual approach: i.The fieldisinsightandexpectedtoremaininsightforthe restof the approach (pilot'sdiscretion). ii.If the fieldisnotin sight:the reportedceilingmustbe above the initial approachaltitude and there mustbe enoughvisibilitytosee the runwayatthat distance. 43. TimedApproach: Thisapproach isnot definedinICAOregulations. 44. StraightinMinimaNot Charted(onlyCirclingMinimumsare Published): FAA - In the USA,a straight-inlanding(usingthe circlingminimumsasMDA) isallowedif the instrumentapproachfinal approachcourse iswithin30° of the landingrunwayalignment,the runwayisin sightand a stabilizedapproachcanbe conductedtothe landingrunway.If all thisisnot possible,anewclearance mustbe requestedfromATC. ICAO- Accordingto ICAO,a straight-inlandinginthese circumstancesissometimesnotpermitted (alwaysrequestmore detailedinformationfromATC).Local regulationsvaryandare NOT always
- 10. publishedaccordingtoICAOrequirements(forexampleTurkey). 45. ASRApproach: FAA - The air trafficcontrollerwill giveyouthe recommendedaltitudesonlyif youaskhimbefore startingthe approach. ICAO- The controllerwill alwaysprovide youwiththe recommendedaltitudes.Descentbelow recommendedaltitudesisallowed,andsometimesREQUIRED(see ASRat Brusselsforrunway02). 46. CirclingApproachObstacle Clearance ProtectedArea: FAA - The protectedareais muchsmallerinthe USA (1.7 mile radiusfor approach categoryC and 2.3 mile radiusforcategoryD),thisis well below ICAOrequirements,andmakesthe circlingapproach evenmore difficultanddangerous. ICAO-Requiresamuchlargerarea. CirclingarearadiusfromthresholdinICAO(DOC8168 OPS/ 611PANS-OPS-4,page 3-26): A: 1.68nm; B: 2.66nm; C: 4.20nm; D: 5.28nm; E: 6.94nm. The maximum speedsare A:100KIAS; B: 135KIAS; C: 180KIAS; D:205KIAS; E: 240KIAS. The radiusisthe distance fromthe thresholdusedtodetermine the circlingarea. 47. Procedure Turn: FAA - There are noentrysector limitationsandaprocedure turnin the USA, doesnotnecessarily have to be flownascharted. ICAO- ICAOhas entrysectorlimitationsandEuropeanpilotswillalwaysflyprocedure turnsas charted(correctedforthe wind) since thisisanICAOrequirement. 48. MaximumSpeedduringInitialApproachCourse Reversal: FAA - The maximumspeedis250 KIASfor all categories. ICAO-The maximumspeedsare:110 KIAS(CATA),140 KIAS(CATB),240 KIAS(CATC).It is 250 KIAS for the highercategoryaircraft(CATD & E) only. 49. OCA versusDH - ApproachMinimums: OCA is an ICAOtermdefinedasObstacle Clearance Altitude/Height(OCA/OCH).Itisthe lowest altitude (OCA) oralternativelythe lowestheightabove the elevationof the relevantrunway thresholdorabove the aerodrome elevation(OCH),usedinestablishingcompliance with appropriate obstacle clearance criteria.OCA valuesforprecisionapproachesprocedures(ILS)are calculatedinaccordance withICAODocument8168-OPS/611 (PANSOPS) thatprovidesstandard maximumvertical distancebetweenthe flightpathsof the wheelsandglide pathantenna. FAA - OCAsare notpublishedonthe approachplatesinthe USA,as theyare on the approach plates for airportswithICAOstandards.Atinternational airportswhere the approachminimumsare determinedbyICAOstandards,Jeppesenwill take the OCA informationandchange itsotheycan displaythe minimumsinaformat thatU.S. pilotsare usedto seeing(e.g.CAT1 approachwill have minimumsof 200’ ). The actual ICAOminimumsmaywell be 200’for Cat D, 190’ Cat C, 180’ forCat B and 170’ for Cat A.note - inthis case withpublishedJeppesenminimumsof 200’ anda published OCA of 170’ (fora Cat A aircraft) there wouldbe 30’ of protectedairspace below the aircraftatthe publishedJeppesenminimums. ICAO- Minimumsare basedonOCA approachdesigncriteria.These usuallyare differentforeach categoryof aircraft.
- 11. 51. CirclingApproachwithPrescribedFlightTracks: FAA - Prescribedflighttracksdonot existforcirclingapproachesinthe USA,and thistopicisnot evenaddressedbyUAL. ICAO- ICAOregulationsallowthisprocedure.These prescribedtracksare indicatedbya line of dashedarrowson the approach plate.Examplescanbe foundatairportsin Europe,includingItaly, MadeiraIslands,etc.France (andits ex-colonies) use thisprocedure tolowercirclingminima.Some Europeanoperatorsallowthe use of these proceduresif the pilotsare familiarwiththe airport, terrainand procedure (simulatorand/orairportqualificationtrainingmaybe required).(See attachedexample.) 52. ILS Alpha,Bravoand Charlie Approaches: FAA - Thisterminologyisnotused,however(IAF) routesare markedwithboldlines. ICAO- A differentmethodof showing(IAF)routes.Thisiscommononapproachesinthe U.K. The AlphaandCharlie routesare usuallyshownonthe planview,while the Bravoroutingisexplainedin a textual description.(See attachedexample.) 50. CirclingApproachWeatherRequirements: FAA - Circlingapproacheshave visibilityrequirements.Aircarrieroperatingspecificationsmayadd the requirementforceilings ICAO- Circlingapproachesrequire visibilityandceiling. 53. Initial - Final,andIntermediate - Final,Approaches: ICAO- Thisis commonforapproachesinFrance and inthe U.K. It isnecessarytouse two plates,the Initial orthe Intermediate Approachplate andthe Final Approachplate,toshootthe approach.This isnecessaryas the informationrequiredtoshootthe approachissplitontotwoseparate plates.The Initial orIntermediateplate showsthe (IAF) routing,while the Final plate hasthe informationforthe final portionof the approach.There doesnotseemto be any difference betweenthe Initial orthe Intermediateplates.(See attachedexample.) 54. StandardApproaches: FAA - not used. ICAO- Thisis commononapproachesinFrance. There maybe three platesinvolved - the firstplate explainsthe procedures involvedwiththe StandardApproach,whilethe secondandthirdplatesgive the intermediate(IAF)routingandthe final approachinformation.(See attachedexample.) 55. AlternativeApproaches: ICAO- Thisis commononapproachesinthe U.K.and France.The alternative routingisexplainedina textual description.Typicallythe procedure allowsthe pilottotransitionfromaholdingpatternto the final approachby extendingthe outboundlegof the hold,insteadof flyingthe published procedure turnfor the course reversal.(See attachedexample.) 56. Tear Drop Variations: FAA - Tear dropsare rarelyusedonapproachesinthe USA. ICAO- Theyare verycommonon ICAOapproachesworldwide.There are manyteardropvariations.
- 12. Some approacheshave maximum(others,minimum)speedsshown.There are manyvariationsin the mannerin whichthe planviewisdrawn,aseach countryseemstowant itdrawn ina different mannerand Jeppesencomplieswitheachnation’swishes.(See the attachedexamples.) FAA - Thisis notused,there are no approachesinthe USA that require twoplatestofly. 57. HoldingPatternLetDowns: FAA - Holdingpatternapproachesare notusedinthe USA. ICAO- These approachesare verycommoninCentral and SouthAmerica.The approachisdesigned to allowanaircraft to letdownina bowl surroundedbymountainousterrain.There isusuallyno straightinminimashown,asthere isno wayto know whichway the aircraftwill be headedwhenit descendsoutof the clouds.(See attached example.) FAA - not used. 58. Complex andDifficultApproaches: FAA - There isnothingverydifficultaboutthe vastmajorityof the approachesinthe USA. ICAO- There are some verycomplex approachesinCentral andSouthAmerica.LookatSanPedro Sula,Hondurasand Brasilia,Brazil forexamples.Some of these approacheswill have highaltitude penetrationscoupledwithholdingpatternletdownsandone (Brazilia) evenhasfour180° turns on the approach path!(See attachedexample.) 59. ILS PRM(SimultaneousCloseParallel): FAA - In use at several airports.A newtype of ILSprocedure usingspecial highresolution/high update radar and trackingsoftware called“precisionrunwaymonitor”(PRM).Allowssimultaneous approachesat parallel runways closertogetherthan4,300’. Requirespilotstohave viewedtraining videos,dual VHFcommunicationsisrequired(one forthe towercontrollerandone forthe monitor controller) andall ATCdirected“breakouts”are tobe HAND FLOWN.Trafficmanagementwill segregate PRMparticipantsfromnon-PRMparticipants.Crewsunable toparticipate are tosoadvise ATC (MinneapolisCenter) oninitialcontacttoenable sequencing. ICAO- Nosuch proceduresatthe presenttime. 60. LNAV Approaches: FAA - Onlya very fewinthe USA at the presenttime.SEA,OAKandBOShave them. ICAO- Becomingmore andmore commonin Holland,GermanyandFrance.Almosteveryapproach inGermanyis nowon a foldout page,insteadof the standardsmallersize,asasLNAV transitions have beenmade partof the approach. 61. CloudBreakProcedure: FAA - Nosuch procedure exists. ICAO- A “CloudBreakProcedure”canbe attachedto the endof an approach(typicallyaNDBor VOR approach) that terminatesata pointinspace.The intent istoget the pilotunderthe cloudsandto a pointabeamthe airportso that he can “break”off the approach and circle to landvisually.The procedure generallyhasaprescribedtrackthat is usedforcirclingto eitherendof arunway.See the NDB approachto the airportat Vagar, Faroe Islands,orthe SouthCaicos Islandsforan example of thisprocedure.
- 13. 62. WindLimitationsforLanding: FAA - Nosuch limitationsexistasairportrestrictions.However,aircraftmanufacturershave such limitationsaspart of the certificationprocessfortheiraircraft.These limitationsare notairport limitations. ICAO- Some airports(Funchal,MadeiraIslands,forexample) have anairportmaximumpermissible windlimitationforlandingprintedonthe approach.Thisistypicallyshownbya circle aroundthe airport,withvariousquadrantsmarkedoff.Eachquadrant will have adifferentwindvalue.Thiswind limitationisgivenrelative tothe touchdownanemometervaluesonly.The valuesmightbe,for example:“15KTgusts25KT” crosswindquadrants,and“20KT gusts30KT “ headwindquadrant. H. MISSED APPROACHES 63. RadioFailure FollowingaMissedApproach: FAA - There maybe a note on the approach plate withspecial instructionsforlossof communications. ICAO- In the UK (LondonandManchester) there are special platesdescribingthe procedurestobe usedinthe eventof a radio failure followingamissedapproach. NOTE: 64. MissedApproacheswithoptionalProcedures: FAA - These donot exist. ICAO- There are a fewairportsthatappear to have optional missedapproachprocedures.SeeDelhi, India,andTehran,Iran. Theyhave multiple missedapproachprocedures,thatseemtobe at the pilot’soption.e.g.turnrightorturn left,turnhere or turnthere,etc.