The Future Air Navigation System (FANS) is an

avionics Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...

system which provides direct data link communication between the pilot and the

air traffic controller Air traffic control specialists, abbreviated ATCS, are personnel responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. Usually stationed in air traffic control centers and control ...

. The communications include air traffic control clearances, pilot requests and position reporting. In the FANS-B equipped

Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the famil ...

aircraft, an Air Traffic Services Unit (ATSU) and a

VHF Data Link The VHF Data Link or VHF Digital Link (VDL) is a means of sending information between aircraft and ground stations (and in the case of VDL Mode 4, other aircraft). Aeronautical VHF data links use the band 117.975–137 MHz assigned by the Inte ...

radio (VDR3) in the avionics rack and two data link control and display units (DCDUs) in the cockpit enable the flight crew to read and answer the

controller–pilot data link communications Controller–pilot data link communications (CPDLC), also referred to as controller pilot data link (CPDL), is a method by which air traffic controllers can communicate with pilots over a datalink system. Necessity The standard method of communic ...

(CPDLC) messages received from the ground.

Overview of FANS

The world's air traffic control system still uses components defined in the 1940s following the 1944 meeting in Chicago which launched the creation of the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...

(ICAO). This traditional ATC system uses analog radio systems for aircraft

Communication, navigation and surveillance Communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) are the main functions that form the infrastructure for air traffic management, and ensure that air traffic is safe and efficient. Functions The CNS has the following three main functions. Communi ...

(CNS). Air traffic control's ability to monitor aircraft was being rapidly outpaced by the growth of flight as a mode of travel. In an effort to improve aviation communication, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

, standards for a future system were created. This integrated system is known as the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) and allows controllers to play a more passive monitoring role through the use of increased automation and satellite-based navigation. In 1983, ICAO established the special committee on the Future Air Navigation System (FANS), charged with developing the operational concepts for the future of air traffic management (ATM). The FANS report was published in 1988 and laid the basis for the industry's future strategy for ATM through digital CNS using satellites and data links. Work then started on the development of the technical standards needed to realize the FANS Concept. In the early 1990s, the

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

Company announced a first generation FANS product known as FANS-1. This was based on the early ICAO technical work for automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) and controller–pilot data link communications (CPDLC), and implemented as a software package on the

flight management computer A flight management system (FMS) is a fundamental component of a modern airliner's avionics. An FMS is a specialized computer system that automates a wide variety of in-flight tasks, reducing the workload on the flight crew to the point that mode ...

of the Boeing

747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The "Advanced Series 300" was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, targeting ...

. It used existing satellite based

ACARS In aviation, ACARS (; an acronym for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is a digital datalink system for transmission of short messages between aircraft and ground stations via airband radio or satellite. The protocol was des ...

communications ( Inmarsat Data-2 service) and was targeted at operations in the South Pacific Oceanic region. The deployment of FANS-1 was originally justified by improving route choice and thereby reducing fuel burn. A similar product (FANS-A) was later developed by

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...

for the

A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel with ...

and

A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner in the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 ...

. Boeing also extended the range of aircraft supported to include the

Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap bet ...

and 767. Together, the two products are collectively known as FANS-1/A. The main industry standards describing the operation of the FANS-1/A products are

ARINC Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC), established in 1929, was a major provider of transport communications and systems engineering solutions for eight industries: aviation, airports, defense, government, healthcare, networks, security, and t ...

622 and

EUROCAE The European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) deals exclusively with aviation standardisation, for both airborne and ground systems and equipment. It was created in 1963 in Lucerne, Switzerland by a decision of the European Civi ...

ED-100/ RTCA DO-258. Both the new Airbus

A380 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...

and

Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...

have FANS-1/A capability. ATC services are now provided to FANS 1/A equipped aircraft in other oceanic airspaces, such as the North Atlantic. However, although many of FANS-1/A's known deficiencies with respect to its use in high density airspace were addressed in later versions of the product (FANS-1/A+), it has never been fully adopted for use in continental airspace. The ICAO work continued after FANS-1 was announced, and continued to develop the CNS/ATM concepts. The ICAO standard for CPDLC using the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) is preferred for continental airspace and is currently being deployed in the core European Airspace by the

EUROCONTROL The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, commonly known as Eurocontrol (stylised ''EUROCONTROL''), is an international organisation working to achieve safe and seamless air traffic management across Europe. Founded in 1960, Eur ...

Agency under the LINK2000+ Programme. Mandatory carriage of the ICAO compliant system is now the subject of an Implementing Rule (for aircraft flying above FL280) issued by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

. This rule accommodates the use of FANS-1/A by long haul aircraft. All other airspace users must be ICAO compliant. Several vendors provide ICAO ATN/CPDLC compliant products. The Airbus ICAO compliant product for the

A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the famil ...

family is known as FANS-B.

Rockwell Collins Rockwell Collins was a multinational corporation headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. It was formed when the Collins Radio Comp ...

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

and Spectralux provide ICAO compliant products for Boeing aircraft, such as the

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...

and 767, and the

will also support ICAO ATN/CPDLC compliant communications. The main standards describing the operation of ICAO compliant products are the ICAO Technical Manual, ICAO Docs 9705 and 9896, Eurocae ED-110B/RTCA DO-280B and Eurocae ED-120/RTCA DO-290.

Background

Aircraft are operated using two major methods; positive control and procedural control. Positive control is used in areas which have radar and so is commonly referred to as radar control. The controller "sees" the airplanes in the control area and uses VHF voice to provide instructions to the flight crews to ensure separation. Because the position of the aircraft is updated frequently and VHF voice contact timely, separation standards (the distance by which one aircraft must be separated from another) are less. This is because the air traffic controller can recognize problems and issue corrective directions to multiple airplanes in a timely fashion. Separation standards are what determine the number of airplanes which can occupy a certain volume of airspace. Procedural control is used in areas (oceanic or land) which do not have radar. The FANS concept was developed to improve the safety and efficiency of airplanes operating under procedural control. This method uses time-based procedures to keep aircraft separated. The separation standard is determined by the accuracy of the reported positions, frequency of position reports, and timeliness of communication with respect to intervention. Non-FANS procedural separation uses

Inertial Navigation System An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (dire ...

s for position, flight crew voice reports of position (and time of next waypoint), and High Frequency radio for communication. The INS systems have error introduced by drifting after initial alignment. This error can approach . HF radio communication involves contacting an HF operator who then transcribes the message and sends it to the appropriate ATC service provider. Responses from the ATC Service Provider go to the HF radio operator who contacts the airplane. The voice quality of the connection is often poor, leading to repeated messages. The HF radio operator can also be saturated with requests for communication. This leads to procedures which keep airplanes separated by as much as laterally, 10 minutes in trail, and in altitude. These procedures reduce the number of airplanes which can operate in a given airspace. If market demand pushes airlines to operate at the same time on a given route, this can lead to airspace congestion, which is handled by delaying departures or separating the airplanes by altitude. The latter can lead to very inefficient operation due to longer flying times and increased fuel burn.

ATC using FANS

The FANS concept involves improvements to

(CNS).

Communication improvements

This involved a transition from voice communications to digital communications. Specifically ACARS was used as the communication medium. This allowed other application improvements. An application was hosted on the airplane known as

(CPDLC). This allows the flight crew to select from a menu of standard ATC communications, send the message, and receive a response. A peer application exists on the ground for the air traffic controller. They can select from a set of messages and send communications to the airplane. The flight crew will respond with a WILCO, STANDBY, or REJECT. The current standard for message delivery is under 60 seconds one way.

Navigation improvements

This involves a transition from inertial navigation to

satellite navigation A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

using the GPS satellites. This also introduced the concept of actual navigation performance (ANP). Previously, flight crews would be notified of the system being used to calculate the position (radios, or inertial systems alone). Because of the deterministic nature of the GPS satellites (constellation geometry), the navigation systems can calculate the worst case error based on the number of satellites tuned and the geometry of those satellites. (Note: it can also characterize the potential errors in other navigation modes as well). So, the improvement not only provides the airplane with a much more accurate position, it also provides an alert to the flight crew should the actual navigation performance not satisfy the

required navigation performance Required navigation performance (RNP) is a type of performance-based navigation (PBN) that allows an aircraft to fly a specific path between two 3D-defined points in space. Navigation precision Area navigation (RNAV) and RNP systems are funda ...

(RNP).

Surveillance improvements

This involves the transition from voice reports (based on inertial position) to automatic digital reports. The application is known as ADS-C (automatic dependent surveillance, contract). In this system, an air traffic controller can set up a "contract" (software arrangement) with the airplane's navigational system, to automatically send a position report on a specified periodic basis – every 5 minutes, for example. The controller can also set up a deviation contract, which would automatically send a position report if a certain lateral deviation was exceeded. These contracts are set up between ATC and the aircraft's systems, so that the flight crew has no workload associated with set-up.

FANS procedural control

The improvements to CNS allow new procedures which reduce the separation standards for FANS controlled airspace. In the South Pacific, they are targeting 30/30 (this is lateral and in trail). This makes a huge difference in airspace capacity.

History

ICAO

The

(ICAO) first developed the high level concepts starting with the initiation of the Special Committee on Future Air Navigation Systems in 1983. The final report was released in 1991 with a plan released in 1993.

Pacific engineering trials

FANS as we know it today had its beginning in 1991 with the Pacific Engineering Trials (PET). During these trials, airplanes installed applications in their ACARS units which would automatically report positions. These trials demonstrated the potential benefits to the airlines and airspace managers.

Implementation

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

, and

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacific ...

approached the

Company in 1993 and requested that Boeing support the development of a FANS capability for the 747-400 airplane. Boeing worked with the airlines to develop a standard which would control the interface between FANS-capable airplanes and air traffic service providers. The development of the FANS-capable aircraft systems proceeded simultaneously with the ATC ground system improvements necessary to make it work. These improvements were certified (using a QANTAS airplane) on June 20, 1995. Both Boeing and Airbus continue to further develop their FANS implementations, Boeing on FANS-2 and Airbus on FANS-B. In the interim, Airbus came out with some enhancements to FANS-A, now referred to as FANS-A+. Various ground systems have been built, mainly by ATC organizations, to interoperate with FANS-1/A.

FANS interoperability team

The FANS interoperability team (FIT) was initiated in the South Pacific in 1998. The purpose of this team is to monitor the performance of the end-to-end system, identify problems, assign problems and assure they are solved. The members include airframe manufacturers, avionics suppliers, communication service providers, and air navigation service providers. Since this time, other regions have initiated FIT groups.

Service providers

Customers that operate aircraft need to get their FANS 1/A capable aircraft connected to both the ATN (Aeronautical Telecommunication Network) and to the

Iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of ...

and/or Inmarsat Satellite network. Commercial aircraft operators typically get their long haul fleet connected and have dedicated personnel to monitor and maintain the satellite and ground link while business aircraft and military aircraft operators contact companies like AirSatOne to commission the system for the first time, conduct functionality testing and to provide ongoing support. AirSatOne provide advanced FANS 1/A services through their Flight Deck Connect portfolio of products. Flight Deck Connect includes a connection to the Iridium and/or Inmarsat satellites for FANS 1/A (via

Datalink A data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information (data communication). It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a transmitter and a recei ...

), and Safety Voice Services, along with ancillary services ( AFIS/ ACARS) such as weather information, engine/airframe health and fault reports.

Operational approval

Some of the more advanced service providers such as AirSatOne and

offer FANS 1/A testing services. When an aircraft is outfitted with FANS 1/A equipment either through the Type Certificate or STC process the equipment must demonstrate compliance with AC 20-140B for operational approval. As an example AirSatOne offer
testing
through the satellite and ATN network to support FANS 1/A functionality in accordance with RTCA DO-258A/ED-100A and provides test reports to meet the requirements of RTCA DO-258A/ED-100A, RTCA DO-306/ED-122 and FAA Advisory Circular AC 20-140B. AirSatOne also provides first time system commissioning on each aircraft, troubleshooting testing and pre-flight maintenance checks to test FANS 1/A functionality either monthly or prior to flight in the FANS environment.

Milestones

On June 20, 1995, a

B747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The "Advanced Series 300" was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, targetin ...

(VH-OJQ) became the first aircraft to certify the Rolls-Royce FANS-1 package by remote type certification (RTC) in Sydney, Australia. It was followed by the first commercial flight from Sydney to Los Angeles on June 21. Subsequently, Air New Zealand certified the

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

FANS-1 package, and United Airlines certified the Pratt & Whitney FANS-1 package. On May 24, 2004, a

Boeing Business Jet Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) are versions of Boeing's jet airliners with modifications to serve the private, head of state and corporate jet market. In 1996, Phil Condit, president of The Boeing Company, and Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of Genera ...

completed the first North Atlantic flight by a business jet equipped with FANS. The airplane touched down at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland. The non-stop eight-hour, flight originating from

Gary/Chicago International Airport Gary/Chicago International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport in Gary, in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is three miles northwest of the city center of Gary, and southeast of the Chicago Loop. It is operated by the Gar ...

in Gary, Indiana, was part of a North Atlantic Traffic trial conducted by the FANS Central Monitoring Agency (FCMA). In August 2010,

Aegean Airlines Aegean Airlines S.A. ( el, Αερογραμμές Αιγαίου Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία ''Aeroporía Aigaíou Anónimi Etairía'', ) is the flag carrier airline of Greece and the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carri ...

became the first airline to commit to upgrading its

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air F ...

fleet with a FANS-B+ retrofit system offered by

References

{{Reflist

External links

FANS-1/A IntroductionEuropean Link 2000+ Programme
Air traffic control Telecommunications-related introductions in 1988