AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2012 - I1

ICAO 12th Air Navigation Conference
Ensuring general aviation wordwide is represented
By Craig Spence, Secretary General

This month IAOPA will be participating in the ICAO 12th Air Navigation Conference (AN-Conf/12) that will be held in Montreal from 19 to 30 November. IAOPA ICAO Representative Frank Hofmann and I will both be participating in the two-week event to ensure that the interests of IAOPA and general aviation worldwide are properly represented. The AN-Conf/12 will be primarily focused on the latest version of the Global Air Navigation Plan. IAOPA participated on the technical committee that drafted the plan. This plan draws heavily on the aviation system block upgrades that were introduced to the international community at the Global Air Navigation Industry Symposium (GANIS). For those of you that are not familiar with block upgrades, they comprise various operational improvements aimed at harmonizing and improving the efficiency of the Global Air Navigation System. According to the ICAO website, “The purpose of the AN-Conf/12 is to gain consensus, obtain commitments and formulate recommendations to achieve a harmonized global air navigation system for international civil aviation and optimizing the opportunities in technology and maturing work programs toward common global objectives. The Conference will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to coalesce around these major themes, set priorities and refine the way forward based on lessons learned. Special consideration will be given to utilization of existing capacity of enabling systems and planning for their expansion taking into consideration user requirements.” A draft copy of the proposed Air Navigation Plan is posted on the IAOPA website for your review. IAOPA is planning on introducing two papers for consideration by the States that will be attending the

Conference that will restate ideas and concepts that are important to general aviation worldwide. The first is designed to reinforce and draw attention to the forward contained in Annex 6 – Part II, International General Aviation—Aeroplanes that allows for an appropriate level of safety and recognizes the difference that exists between general aviation and commercial operations. All too often, member States are taking the ICAO SARP’s and applying them equally across both commercial and GA operators with the end result being over regulation that threatens the development and continued survival of GA. The foreword appears in the Annex to remind States to differentiate commercial aviation from general aviation, a distinction which some States choose not to do. The second paper will stress to member States that are in the process of implementing the block upgrades described earlier, that access and equity needs to be a cornerstone of any airspace modernization effort and that all system users must continue to be accommodated. In instance after instance, we are seeing a rush for Precision Based Navigation (PBN) procedures that are unnecessarily restrictive and if implemented would create a barrier to GA because of overly complex equipment and certification requirements. As States move forward with modernization of their air traffic systems it is imperative that all users are involved in its development and evolution. I will report in December’s IAOPA e-News the results of the conference and any developments that emerge. If you are not getting IAOPA e-News electronically, ask your local IAOPA affiliate to forward it to you every month and stay up-to-date on what IAOPA and their affiliates are doing to keep GA flying.

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AOPAs around the world promote and act as advocates for general aviation and aerial work activities. This is only possible through the support and input of their members. If you are not a member, contact your local AOPA for membership information. IAOPA world affiliates are listed on the back of this page.

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NOVEMBER 2012

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2012

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