Ian Whitworth
                                                                                                           Procedure designer, ASAP s.r.o.
What are IFR procedures?

Basically, these are the arrival and departure routes that aircraft fly. You can think of them as roads in the sky. As aircraft get closer to the ground these calculated tracks provide 3D clearance from terrain and obstacles.

What are your credentials for designing procedures?

I was a pilot and an active ATCO for 13 years and have designed 200+ IFR procedures since I started procedure design 17 years ago.

What is the background required to be a procedure designer?

At the moment, nothing really. However I doubt that one would get a job as a procedure designer with basic schooling. Most procedure designers have extensive experience in aviation as either an ATCO or a pilot.

Are all procedure designers equal?

No, to design a safe, efficient and flyable IFR procedure depends on the procedure designer having various tools and abilities at his disposal.

An aptitude and passion for the job
Adequate support staff
The right software tools
Access to up to date hardware
The correct training

If any of these factors are below optimum it will be consequently reflected in the IFR procedure that is designed.

How are you regulated?

At the moment there is little or no regulation of procedure designers in many parts of the world. However I expect that this will change as more people become aware of how critical the work of a procedure designer is.

Do you think that procedure designers should be licensed?

I most certainly do and I think that ICAO or Eurocontrol should bring out guidelines for the licensing process so that there is some standardisation.

Who is involved in the design of an IFR procedure?

The people directly involved in the procedure design process are:

2 data entry experts
2 procedure designers, 1 for design the other for checking.
An aeronautical cartographer
A project manager to liaise with the client
A compilation person for printing, binding and production of an electronic version of the procedure on CD-ROM

So it is not a one person operation?

Not any more, previously it was but with the sophistication that is required today it is almost impossible for a single person to complete all the required tasks in the time available.

How do you design procedures?

ICAO document 8168 Pans-Ops lays down the criteria that determine the tolerances associated with a certain navigational aid and the phase of flight. Previously these areas were drawn on tracing paper which was placed over topographical maps. The altitudes of obstacles and terrain inside the protection areas were then entered into calculations to determine that the minimum obstacle clearance existed. Now most of this work is done with the aid of a computer.

So you use software to design procedures?

Yes, it would be very difficult to design modern IFR procedures without some sort of software assistance. However one should be careful that all decisions concerning an IFR procedure design are made by the procedure designer and not the software. We use our own suit of procedure design software tools (PHX) that keep the procedure designer totally responsible for the design process.

Who validates procedure design software?

It is a recent ICAO recommendation that member states perform a validation of their procedure design software. However this is a long and involved process and many CAA’s do not have the human resources to carry out such a process.

How long does it take to design an instrument approach?

Firstly the data associated with the aerodrome is input into the computer. Navigational aids, runways and surveyed data is entered quite quickly but topographical information can take some time as it usually has to be laboriously digitised from hard copy maps. Digital terrain models are available but accuracy is a problem. So it takes approximately 2 weeks to build a computer model of the airport and the surrounding area. The design of the IFR procedure is relatively straight forward and usually takes 1-2 weeks for a good design that takes into account all the requested parameters. There are software programs that will design a basic instrument approach in seconds, unfortunately there are too many variables for a software program to design an efficient instrument approach at most airports. Finally there is the documentation that covers the design process, parameters used, calculations made, decisions and results found. This document is essential for checking the procedure, Quality Assurance and provides a background for the flight checking unit. This reference document can take up to a week to prepare. During this week an AIP ready chart is produced and checked.

Surely pilots and airlines create their own procedures?

No, it is up to the CAA to authorise and publish IFR procedures. However airlines do design their own emergency 1 engine out procedures as they are often aircraft specific.

Haven’t all the procedures required already been designed?

Many procedures were designed 20-30 years ago and there have been a lot of changes in the industry since then.

Why design procedures when most aircraft are Radar vectored?

Aircraft can follow a well designed IFR procedure without extensive radar vectoring. It has been estimated that a well thought out RNAV procedure can cut ATC communications by up to 95%. This leaves more time for ATC to concentrate of conflict solutions and enable the pilot to devote his attention to flying the plane.

What is the commercial case for designing new procedures?

Airline operators are now more commercially orientated than ever before especially now that low cost airlines are established in the market. So savings in track miles flown equates to significant savings in time, fuel and money. For example newly designed procedures in Tirana, Albania resulted in a saving of 45nm on a single approach. Another factor that has entered the equation is the privatisation of many airports. The viability of an airport depends not just on ground facilities (terminal buildings, baggage) but also airborne aspects. Arrival/departure delays, excess miles flown and high minimums resulting in diversions can greatly affect the attractiveness of an airport. Airport operators should look at the airborne side of operations as closely as they look at the ground based operations. Unfortunately this is very rarely the case.

What is the traceability of a design?

Each new IFR procedure should be accompanied by three items. The procedure drawings which depict the ICAO obstacle protection areas, a procedure design explanation document and Finally, the flight-check report.

How do you ensure the integrity of a procedure?

I think that the integrity of an IFR procedure is ensured if you keep all people concerned involved in the design process. At the initial meeting there should be representatives from ATC, airlines, the CAA and environmentalists if that could be a concern. A lot of time can be saved if all concerned discuss and establish the design parameters. The same people should attend draft procedure presentation. This is when the rational behind the procedure is explained and why or why not certain parameters were or were not incorporated in the procedure.

How are environmental concerns taken into account?

Noise and environmental concerns are more important now than ever before and must be taken into account when designing an IFR procedure. With modern navigational equipment (RNAV etc) more options are available to the procedure designer. No longer must flight paths be designed to or from a navigational aid. Procedures can now be designed that fly around sensitive areas with minimum extra track miles. Additionally most arrival procedures are now designed as a Continuous Descent Approach which considerably reduces environmental impact.

How do you take into account different aircraft types?

All aircraft are divided into 5 categories depending on their stall speed in the landing configuration. Each category is sub-divided into the phases of flight and the associated speeds to be used in the design of the procedure.

Are your procedures checked before they are flown commercially?

Naturally there is an entire checking process in place. Firstly the procedures are checked internally by another procedure designer. As we are a commercial operation, the procedure is then checked again by the CAA. It is usual at this time that the operators and ATC look over the procedure from an operational point of view. Finally the procedure is flight checked.

Would you fly your own procedures?

Certainly, I make it a point to fly on the flight-check. It enables me to make any changes to the procedure in real time.

Is a safety case required for the implementation of a new procedure?

In most countries a safety case is not a requirement for the implementation of a new IFR procedure. However I personally think that a safety case should form an integral part of the implementation process. Hazard analysis meetings can highlight more safety factors than can be envisaged by a single procedure designer working alone.

How does a procedure get into the cockpit?

After an IFR procedure is flight checked and approved by the CAA it is put into the AIP. From there it is taken by private charting firms, like EAG and converted into an A5 size chart or entered into an electronic flight bag. This chart conversion process involves converting symbols and format only. There is no check that the procedure was designed correctly. Commercial charting companies operate on the premise that the data in the AIP is correct and safe. So if the IFR procedure is incorrectly designed and gets through the CAA approval process there is a very good chance that an unsafe IFR procedure will be in front of the pilot carrying out the approach.

Has new technology changed the work that a procedure designer does (i.e. RNAV, GNSS)?

New technology has given procedure designers a lot more flexibility. No longer is one restricted to designing a procedure such that an aircraft must fly to or from a navigational aid. This advantage is passed on to end users as more efficiently designed procedures with less track miles flown.

How do you see the future of procedure design?

In some areas software is being developed to totally automate the procedure design process. This will cut the procedure designer out of the loop and I personally think that this will be a backward step. However I am sure that more computer aided tools will be available to the procedure designer in the future.

Are any procedures you designed no longer in use?

Yes certainly, the airspace around a busy modern airport is like the motorway associated with a busy city, there is always “work in progress”. Airspace changes, traffic flows change, new technology is available etc. This all means that at an efficiently run airport the arrival and departure procedures are continually being updated and revised. For example, the procedures I designed years ago for Zurich airport are no longer valid as airspace and environmental concerns required a total re-design of the arrival procedures.

Do procedures require a periodic review?

Procedures should be reviewed on a yearly basis after the critical obstacle survey is completed. However this is not always possible due to the lack of human resources in a CAA.

Should procedure design be a commercial enterprise?

Yes as it enables a CAA to perform its function as a regulatory body and market forces will ensure that a higher quality of procedure design is continually maintained.

Will the Airbus A380 require different types of procedures?

No I do not think that different types of procedures need to be designed. However present procedures need to take into account such a large aircraft. For example, all ILS approaches need to be recalculated as they were initially calculated for aircraft with a maximum wing span of 60m whereas the A380 has a wing span of 79.8m which is an extra 9.9m on either side.