Section 7. User Request Evaluation Tool (URET)
6-7-1. GENERAL
URET is
an en route decision support tool that is used by the sector
team in performing their strategic planning responsibilities.
URET uses flight plan data, forecast winds, aircraft
performance characteristics, and track data to derive expected
aircraft trajectories, and to predict conflicts between
aircraft and between aircraft and special use or designated
airspace. It also provides trial planning and enhanced flight
data management capabilities.
6-7-2. FRONT-LINE MANAGER-IN-CHARGE RESPONSIBILITIES
a. Where
authorized, perform URET data entries to keep the activation
status of designated URET Airspace Configuration Elements
current.
b. Ensure
that the URET Airspace Status Display information accurately
reflects current Special Activity Airspace (SAA) status.
c. Perform
coordination and designated actions in the event of a URET
outage or degradation, in accordance with the requirements of
this order and as designated by facility directive.
d. Assist
in sector preparations needed to transition to and from URET
operations.
e. Ensure
changes to restrictions based on the Restrictions Inventory
and Evaluation are implemented in a timely manner.
6-7-3. OPERATIONs
MANAGER-IN-CHARGE RESPONSIBILITIES
a. Ensure
that the URET Airspace Status Display information accurately
reflects current SAA status.
b. Perform
coordination and designated actions in the event of a URET
outage or degradation, in accordance with the requirements of
this order and as designated by facility directive.
c. Ensure
changes to restrictions based on the Restrictions Inventory
and Evaluation are implemented in a timely manner.
6-7-4. FACILITY MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES
a. Ensure
LOAs, SOPs, and Sector Position Binders are current to support
URET.
1. Facility
managers must consider URET functions and limitations in
reviewing all current LOAs and/or negotiating all future LOAs.
2. The
following items should be considered when reviewing LOAs:
(a) Interfacility
coordination procedures.
(b) Special
Use Airspace (SUA) use and status.
(c) Restriction
relaxation/removal.
(d) Outage
notification.
(e) Degradation
of functions notification.
(f) Automated
Information Transfer (AIT) procedures.
b. Ensure
all facility directives are current to support URET.
Directives must include, but are not limited to:
1. URET
Outages.
2. URET
Airspace Configuration Elements Data Entry.
3. Standard
Use of Automated Flight Data Management.
4. Sectors
authorized to use URET Inappropriate Altitude for Direction of
Flight (IAFDOF) Manual Mode.
5. Sectors
authorized to use the URET Drop Track Delete function and the
conditions under which it may be used.
6. Conditions
under which a controller can deactivate an adapted URET
restriction.
7. Local
requirements for posting flight progress strips that exceed
national requirements.
8. Facility
standard for annotating status of manual coordination at URET
sectors where automated coordination with an external facility
is not available (e.g., international facility, VFR tower).
Facility directives may require either the use of the URET
Coordination Menu or flight progress strips, and must define a
standard for each URET sector.
9. Facility standard for annotating
hold instructions and reporting delay information at URET
sectors. Facility directives may require either the use of
URET Hold Annotations, flight progress strips, or a
facility-approved worksheet, and must define a standard for
each URET sector.
c. Ensure
the Restrictions Inventory and Evaluation is conducted and
maintained in accordance with this order.
d. Ensure
changes to restrictions based on the Restrictions Inventory
and Evaluation are implemented in a timely manner.
6-7-5. URET
AIRSPACE CONFIGURATION ELEMENTS
a. URET
Airspace Configuration Elements are:
1. Special
Activity Airspace (SAA).
2. Airport
Stream Filters (ASF).
3. URET
adapted restrictions.
b. For
each airspace configuration element adapted in URET, facility
directives must designate at least one primary position and
one secondary position to be responsible to update the status
(e.g., active/inactive) and/or the activation schedule for
that element.
NOTE-
1. Accurate conflict probe results require
timely updates to the current activation status and/or the
projected activation schedule for airspace configuration
elements.
2. Designating
a position to have secondary responsibility for each URET
Airspace Configuration Element is essential to maintain the
capability to perform updates in the event that equipment at
the primary position is temporarily out of service.
3. Positions
to be considered for primary or secondary designation include
a specified sector, TMU, or operations supervisor.
c. ATC
positions and personnel authorized by facility directive must
perform automation entries in URET in a timely manner to
update the status of SAA, restrictions, and ASF.
d. For
a URET airspace configuration element that is associated with
a particular sector or sectors and whose status is highly
dynamic in nature:
1. The
designated sector(s) should be assigned the primary
responsibility to keep the URET status current.
2. The
TMU or the appropriate operations supervisor should be
assigned the secondary responsibility to keep URET status
current.
6-7-6. STANDARD USE OF AUTOMATED FLIGHT DATA MANAGEMENT
Use of
the checkbox flight data management feature of URET must be
standardized in accordance with individual facility
directives.
6-7-7. URET
OUTAGES
a. In
accordance with Chapter 8, NAS En Route Automation, and the
requirements in this chapter, URET facilities must develop and
maintain procedures for transition to and from URET
operations.
NOTE-
The back-up for URET is flight progress strips.
b. Planned
Outages.
1. Schedule
preventive or periodic maintenance of URET to coincide with
periods of low air traffic volume.
2. Notification
of planned local URET outages must be coordinated with the
Operations Manager no less than 2 hours in advance.
3. The
Operations Manager must notify the neighboring URET facilities
of a planned URET outage no less than 1 hour in advance.
4. The
Operations Manager must notify Operations Supervisors of a
planned URET outage as soon as known.
5. Each
Operations Supervisor must notify the sector teams in their
area of a planned URET outage as soon as known.
6. At
least 20 minutes prior to a local URET outage, Operations
Supervisors must ensure that sectors resume posting and
maintenance of flight progress strips, in accordance with FAAO
JO 7110.65, Air Traffic Control, requirements for a non-URET
environment, except as otherwise permitted by facility
directive.
c. Unplanned URET Outages.
1. A
facility directive must include a checklist detailing actions
to be taken and roles and responsibilities during an unplanned
URET outage.
2. When
an unplanned URET outage occurs, sectors must post and
maintain flight progress strips in accordance with FAAO
JO 7110.65, Air Traffic Control, requirements for a non-URET
environment, except as otherwise permitted by facility
directive.
NOTE-
1. A full transition to strips may not be
necessary based on the duration of the outage. Outages of
short duration may allow continued use of the URET data while
strips are prepared for use in the event that the outage
continues.
2. A
“snapshot” of URET flight data at the time of the outage will
be available to the sector team. Although the data will not be
updated and will become stale, it may be used to assist the
sector team while reestablishing the support of strips.
3. Any
failure recovery action that will result in the automatic
clearing of the URET data on a position's display must be
approved by the Operations Manager.
d. Degraded
Conditions.
1. In
the event that URET is operational, but alert data may be
affected due to an associated equipment malfunction, the
National Operations Manager (NOM) must notify the Operations
Manager who must in turn notify Operations Supervisors. Each
Operations Supervisor must ensure that each sector team in
their area of specialization is cognizant of the potential for
degradation.
2. When
the associated equipment malfunction is corrected, the NOM
must notify the Operations Manager who must in turn notify
Operations Supervisors. Each Operations Supervisor must ensure
that each sector team in their area of specialization is
cognizant that the source of possible degradation has been
corrected.
6-7-8. TRANSITION AND TRAINING PLANNING
The
facility air traffic manager must ensure that detailed
facility plans are prepared defining:
a. Training
schedules of Certified Professional Controllers, Operations
Supervisors, and Operations Managers.
b. Training
schedules of developmental controllers based on national
training directives.
6-7-9. RESTRICTIONS INVENTORY AND EVALUATION
a. Facilities
must identify responsibilities and establish procedures for
the creation and maintenance of a facility restriction
inventory once URET is fully operational. Facility plans
should include identification and cataloging each air traffic
restriction by type, purpose, and frequency/duration in
effect.
b. Facilities
must create a plan and conduct ongoing evaluations on the need
to relax or remove restrictions not warranted during URET
operations. This must include URET impact on ability to
relax/remove restrictions and identification of dependencies
between ability to remove restrictions and automation
capabilities/limitations.
c. Submit
annually to the Vice President of En Route and Oceanic
Services, an Evaluation Report on facility restriction
relaxation/removal related to URET.
d. Prior
to implementation of restriction changes each ARTCC must:
1. Coordinate
with any affected ATC facility.
2. Coordinate
with the ATCSCC, as appropriate.
3. Inform
individual air carriers, as appropriate.
6-7-10. TRAFFIC COUNTS AND DELAY REPORTING
a. Automated
counts of traffic activities are the preferred methods during
use of URET.
b. Adherence
to all applicable delay reporting directives must continue
while URET is operational.
c. Delay
information, must be recorded either on available flight
progress strips, on facility approved forms, or via the
automated URET delay reporting features for aircraft in hold.
Facility directives must detail the procedures for collecting
and reporting this information to the ATCSCC.
6-7-11. COMPUTER DATA RETENTION
Follow
the guidelines detailed in this order to retain URET recorded
data.
6-7-12. WAIVER TO INTERIM ALTITUDE REQUIREMENTS
a. If,
at any URET facility, a facility directive has been issued to
waive the mandatory computer entry of interim altitudes,
controllers and supervisors in any affected area and adjacent
areas or facilities must be informed of the resulting
potential for misleading URET alert data.
b. Each
URET facility should strongly consider the benefits of URET in
evaluating any current or future waiver for data entry of
interim altitudes. URET accuracy in assigning alert priorities
for surrounding sectors, including those in neighboring URET
facilities, is dependent upon the subject sector's
entry/update of interim altitudes.
6-7-13. TRANSFER OF POSITION RESPONSIBILITY
Each
URET facility must ensure that pertinent URET information is
integrated into any Position Relief briefing list, whether
manual or electronic. |