Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GAINS (General Aviation Improved Navigation and Surveillance)

Teaser

The objectives of GAINS are to validate concepts enabled by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and EGNOS. These include specifically electronic conspicuity and instrument flight procedures to meet the needs of GA, including both fixed wing and rotorcraft. While the work...

Summary

The objectives of GAINS are to validate concepts enabled by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and EGNOS. These include specifically electronic conspicuity and instrument flight procedures to meet the needs of GA, including both fixed wing and rotorcraft. While the work of SESAR to date has targeted operational and technical improvements that address the needs of scheduled airline traffic, general aviation, which comprises more than 100,000 users in Europe, remains an important economic enabler and feeder to the airline industry. Given the variety of uses supported, GAINS aims to demonstrate to the wider aviation community how improvements being developed by SESAR can be adapted to enhance GA operations without prohibitive cost or certification requirements.
The project therefore aims to demonstrate clearly, through live flying exercises, the ability of GA to utilise new technology and procedures in flight. It also aims to test the viability of adapting SESAR solutions to improve GA’s operations and integration within a variety of operational contexts and environments.
The flights undertaken are intended to:
• Demonstrate to the wider GA community the benefits of these technologies;
• Collect evidence on performance of these technologies within the typical operational environments of GA;
• Support regulatory adaptations with the certification authorities to enable wider deployment; and
• Demonstrate the deployment of SESAR solutions to enable integration of all airspace users.
This is expected to contribute to better integration of GA at controlled and uncontrolled aerodromes, as well as improving safety, efficiency and predictability of operations. It may also make possible the provision of basic air traffic services at aerodromes where this is normally not economically viable.
The flying exercises are segmented into surveillance demonstrations (WP4) and navigation demonstrations (WP5) and listed below are the specific objectives of both demonstrations.
Surveillance objectives are to demonstrate:
• the use of low-cost on-board ADS-B surveillance equipment and its use by GA/Rotorcraft for cockpit traffic situation awareness especially in the airfield circuit (the most hazardous environment).
• the use of aircraft position data transmitted by ADS-B and received on a low-cost display device at the airfield service position, to assist management of aircraft in the circuit as well as arrivals and departures from the circuit. This will be demonstrated for three service environments: Air-Ground Communication Service; Aerodrome Flight Information Service and, subject to availability, Air Traffic Control Service.
• the effective reception range of ADS-B equipment with both fixed transmission power and variable/adaptive power in two environments: airfield circuit and in class G airspace outside the aerodrome air traffic zone.
Navigation objectives are to demonstrate:
• that a range of GA aircraft/rotorcraft with a range of different equipment capabilities are able to participate safely and efficiently in the navigation solutions envisaged, in particular the ability to fly RF legs with acceptable flight technical error.
• potential operational advantages of these solutions in constrained operational environments, for example, short final approach segments, steeper than standard glidepaths, and avoidance of noise sensitive areas
• that, in combination with the surveillance solutions, these navigation solutions can be integrated into a typical GA airfield operating environment with limited ATM capability.

Work performed

The first year of the project was focused on planning the exercises for each demonstration (that took place end of 2018 and that will take place in 2019). The consortium developed:

• a project management plan to control and monitor the project progress, sets roles and responsibilities and defines the objectives and strategy of communication and dissemination activities;
• a project demonstration plan that provides detail about the exercises foreseen, their planning, objectives, measures of success and associated risks;
• a data management plan to define the top-level principles on how data are to be handled both during and after the project;

The planning activities also involved active engagement of the multiple stakeholders in which the consortium developed the following tasks:

• establishment of participation agreements with aerodromes suitable for the demonstrations foreseen. Five aerodromes for surveillance demonstrations and three aerodromes for navigation demonstrations;
• development of a survey to collect interest from pilots to participate in the project. This survey was very successful, since more than 200 suitable pilots (with suitable aircrafts) manifested interest in participating, many more than the project target ;
• engagement of regulators (EASA, UK – CAA, France – DGAC) and ANSPs (DFS, NATs), through WP6 Technical Advisory Committee;
• engagement with avionics suppliers and shops to make sure that software and and equipment is in place for the demonstrations;
• approach to rotorcraft training schools to try to engage rotorcraft pilots for the surveillance demonstrations.

Final results

The principal objective of GAINS project remains to demonstrate the feasibility of SESAR solutions to be used by General Aviation and support further integration of all airspace users in a moment in which this becomes more and more relevant, given commercial airlines traffic and drones growth.

The live in-flight demonstrations of the GAINS project will therefore provide evidence of the soundness and effectiveness of the technologies and concepts for their adoption by General Aviation/Rotorcraft as a valid and cost effective way of enabling new concepts for inclusion of General Aviation in a more integrated airspace. Through the demonstrations and collection of live data from the trials, GAINS expects to be able to support the case for changes in safety assessments and regulatory approach to enable wider use of low cost solutions to support wider adoption of surveillance benefits airborne and on the airport surface.

In addition, the exploitation of GNSS navigation techniques is expected to lead to help drive safety assessments and changes in regulations to allow alternate use of existing technologies to enable better integration within the capabilities of General Aviation fixedwing aircraft.

So whilst not anticipated under existing ICAO or EASA regulatory frameworks for the operations proposed to be developed in this project, it is anticipated that GAINS will provide evidence to argue for changes in the regulatory and safety assessment process for General Aviation. Careful consideration of the regulatory aspects of the demonstrated solutions is therefore a vital part of the GAINS project. A risk based approach is being explored through WP2: Regulatory and CONOPS Review. This will bring the potential improvements to the ATM Master Plan and support standardisation and regulation for more efficient installation and use of equipment demonstrated.

Information related to surveillance or navigation elements is being discussed with representative bodies as UK-CAA, EUROCONTROL and manufacturers.

GAINS still expects to have a positive impact on the adoption of ADS-B-in and -out by all General Aviation (powered and non-powered) and improved access for General Aviation Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) transport based on tailored GNSS based PBN solutions.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.sesarju.eu/projects/gains.