Avionics News January 2021 - 55

As one corporate air transport pilot told Avionics News in
early 2020, " So far the changeover has been a big nothingburger. The biggest difference so far has been in the types of
(instrument) approaches available and the greater number
of runway ends we use with WAAS-supported (instrument)
approaches. We're even getting access to the occasional PBN
approach, and they take less time and mileage to use. "

with establishing the ADS-B ground network, the FAA
started defining how this 21st century air traffic system
would look. The efforts included identifying how many
and where its resulting minimum operational network of
ground-based navigational aids would be sufficient to
support the expected growth in air traffic.
The FAA unveiled its plans on July 27, 2016, when
the agency announced the first steps toward creating the
minimum operational network, then made up of groundbased very high frequency, omnidirectional radio range
navaids and NDB stations. The agency finalized the
first of a two-step process that included identifying 308
VORs for decommissioning as part of the transition to
the higher efficiency of ADS-B surveillance and WAAS
GPS - that is, satellite-based - instrument approach
procedures.
The FAA's July 26, 2016, policy statement listed
the 308 VORs considered for decommissioning, a list
mirroring the recommendations of an industry working
group. The working group included all the usual
participants from commercial and general aviation.
The goal fits into the FAA's move toward streamlining
its workload. The list reflects the agency's criteria
for selecting those VORs planned for retention and
operation. The criteria prioritized VOR stations
supporting international oceanic arrival routes, as well
as those which provide coverage at and above 5,000
feet above ground level and are used by the military. As
part of that effort, the FAA classified 736 redundant or
underused VOR approaches using criteria and a process
proposed by the Flight Safety Foundation based on
surveys and research.
Bob Lamond, NBAA's director of air traffic services
and infrastructure, noted at the time, " The shift to full
performance-based navigation procedures will mean
more options for operators, and eliminating unnecessary

procedures will help the FAA manage its workload. "
As part of the decommissioning process, the FAA
has been publishing notices on each VOR slated for
elimination while soliciting public input. Completion
of the first phase of the process was due to end with the
close of 2020, with the second phase scheduled to occur
from 2021 to 2025.
" The FAA remains committed to the plan to retain
an optimized network of VOR navaids, " the agency
said. " The MON will enable pilots to revert from
performance-based navigation to conventional navigation
for approach, terminal and en route operations in the
event of a GPS outage, and supports the NAS transition
from VOR-based routes to a more-efficient PBN
structure consistent with NextGen goals and the NAS
Efficient Streamlined Services Initiative. "
For operators and pilots, the ongoing nature of the
transition elevates the importance of checking notices
to airmen, both local and remote, and keeping up-todate all charts, plates and databases used by navigation
radios such as WAAS GPS navigators, as well as any
and all software they use in flight planning - tools
like electronic flight bags, arguably the best and leasttroublesome option for keeping flight documents current.
ADS-B operationally: 'The changeover
has been a big nothing-burger'
One of the promises of the FAA's decades-long
promotion and changeover to ADS-B for surveillance and
traffic management has been it's near invisibility to pilots
and operators - well, once pilots and operators resolved
the need to invest in some new hardware for their avionics
stacks, that is. Twelve months in and that promise seems
to be holding. At least for operators with aircraft in
compliance with the May 2010 ADS-B Out rule.
Continued on following page
avionics news

january

2021

Avionics News January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2021