RTCA Issues New Aviation Documents

September 15, 2005

RTCA Inc. issued three new aviation documents last month, one focused on signal-in-space minimum aviation system performance standards, while the other two concentrated on vertical reference systems.

RTCA DO-224B - Signal-in-Space Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards (MASPS) for Advanced VHF Digital Data Communications Including Compatibility with Digital Voice Techniques consolidates prior documents focusing on the VHF air-ground Digital Link (VDL) Mode 2 and VDL Mode 3 MASPS. Minor updates to VDL Mode 2 are highlighted in the document, while several changes to VDL Mode 3 are outlined, including increased aircraft address space, the addition of ground system requirements and the removal of the aircraft cross-link buss requirement.

Both RTCA DO-272A - User Requirements for Aerodrome Mapping Information and DO-276A User Requirements for Terrain and Obstacle Data correspond with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) SARPS, accommodate ICAO Annex 15, Aeronautical Information Services, Amendment 33 and incorporate the ICAO annexes with the glossaries. The documents also present EGM-96 as the gravity model for vertical reference systems.

RTCA DO-272A also includes user feedback of verification and validation methods, as well as requirements that make up geometrical relations and constraints. Medium quality data accuracy requirements were removed. The document presents EGM-96 as the gravity model for vertical reference systems and presents database update cycles that correspond with regular data deliveries. The document, however, no longer focuses on coding information for data exchange, which has been incorporated into RTCA DO-291 – Interchange Standards for Terrain, Obstacle, and Aerodrome Mapping Data.

Diverging from RTCA DO-272A, RTCA DO-276A focuses on ISO 19000 series compliance by highlighting new data, time stamps, effectivity, lighting and marking attributes. For the first time user feedback is now part of the verification and validation methods list.

Source: RTCA Inc.