Navigation Services

NAS Implementation - Vertical Flight

The Vertical Flight Working Group is tasked with implementing satellite navigation based visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) infrastructure to support vertical flight (helicopter and powered-lift) operations.

Vertical flight, or VF, has received a great deal of recognition within recent years due to various societal benefits and increased industry interest. Benefits include vertical flight's instrumental role in public safety, emergency management services, and law enforcement. VF also provides quick response to natural or man-made disasters by providing swift transport of supplies or delivery of victims to the appropriate medical facility.

Additionally, VF has been an integral resource in endeavors in oil and mineral exploration by providing flexible, reliable transportation, spurring industry interest. Coupled with advances in technology and industry interest, GPS provides both a challenge and compelling opportunity for the FAA to fully implement NAS services and capabilities for helicopter operations.

The FAA established the need for continued concentration on VF operations through policy statements that endorses the public benefits and security from development of VFR/IFR procedures and operational guidance.

VF has specific requirements and fundamental differences from fixed-wing operations (traditional aircraft) that require this separate working group which include:

• Flight Dynamics - Traditional aircraft land then stop, while helicopters stop then land. Helicopters fly slower, lower, and are much more flexible in regards to landing approaches, therefore, many of the rules that are developed for fixed-wing aircraft are not applicable to helicopters.
• Operational Environment including Offshore, Remote, Urban Non-Airport Operations - Helicopters take off and operate out of obstacle rich and space-constrained areas, such as hospital heliports, downtown heliports, and landing areas close to other modes of transportation, such as trains. Helicopters fly slower and therefore can be much more agile and consume less airspace.
• Landing Facilities - Airplanes land on runways where the minimum instrument runway length is 3200 ft. Helicopters, on the other hand, will fly to a 75x75 ft. landing surface. Therefore, procedures developed for runways will not necessarily work with helicopters.
• Simultaneous Non-Interfering Operations - Helicopters can fly simultaneous approaches to heliports and can still land at airports delivering passengers without slowing down aircraft approaches. This is important because aircraft approach the runway at a much greater speed than the helicopter and typically a helicopter approach can slow down traffic.

Current Vertical Flight Projects Include:

• Copter IFR Procedure Implementation Enroute, Terminal, Approach, Departure
• Simultaneous Non-Interferring Operations (SNI)
• VFR Operation Enhancements - Precision VFR

Future Projects Include:

• Copter ILS (100 HAT/1200RVR)
• ICAO GPS Helicopter Applications
• Avionics Standards Including:
• TSO C-129
• WAAS
• LAAS
• IFR Departure Criteria
• GPS Based Off-Airway Routes
• Tiltrotor Issues