Page 236 - UK Air Operations Regulations (Consolidated) 201121

Part CAT - ANNEX IV - Commercial Air Transport Operations

AIRCRAFT TRACKING — CHOICE OF THE POSITION REPORTING PERIOD
(a) Unless the aircraft tracking system includes functionalities enhancing the detection of
deviations from normal operation (e.g. airborne systems capable of automatically
transmitting more information under some conditions, possibility for the operational control
to adjust the position reporting period of an ongoing flight, etc.), the choice of the position
reporting period has a significant influence on the effectiveness of the aircraft tracking
system.
(1) Indeed, assuming that an operator has set itself the objective of detecting, within a
given time T, deviations from normal operation, and that the operator relies for this
purpose only on position reports, then the position reporting period needs to be less
than T.
(2) Furthermore, when no other information than position reports is available to locate a
missing aircraft, then the search zone is a circle with a radius corresponding to the
distance likely to have been covered since the last detection. The corresponding
search area grows as the square of the time, until the position of the aircraft is
detected again or the fuel on board is exhausted. Taking the example of an aeroplane
cruising at Mach 0.8 (i.e. covering a distance of about 8 NM per minute), after 15
minutes the search area is 155 000 square kilometres.
(3) In the publication of the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau titled ‘The
Operational Search for MH370’ (dated October 2017), it is recommended that
‘Aircraft operators, aircraft manufacturers, and aircraft equipment manufacturers
investigate ways to provide high-rate and/or automatically triggered global position
tracking in existing and future fleets’.
(b) It is advised to take the above into account when setting up the aircraft tracking system.
CAT.GEN.MPA.205 GM6 Aircraft tracking system — Aeroplanes
PROVIDING CONTACT INFORMATION TO COMPETENT AIR NAVIGATION SERVICE PROVIDERS
One possible way of ensuring that contact information has been made available to all the competent
air navigation service providers is to provide in the ATS flight plan (item 18 ‘Other information’)
information sufficient to contact the on-duty staff of the aircraft operator.
CAT.GEN.MPA.205 GM7 Aircraft tracking system — Aeroplanes
GUIDANCE
Additional guidance for the establishment of an aircraft tracking system is found in ICAO Circular 347 -
Aircraft Tracking Implementation Guidelines, dated 2017.
CAT.GEN.MPA.210 Location of an aircraft in distress — Aeroplanes
The following aeroplanes shall be equipped with robust and automatic means to accurately determine,
following an accident during which the aeroplane is severely damaged, the location of the point of end
of flight:
(1) all aeroplanes with an MCTOM of more than 27 000 kg, with an MOPSC of more than 19
and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 2023;
(2) all aeroplanes with an MCTOM of more than 45 500 kg and first issued with an individual
CofA on or after 1 January 2023.
CAT.GEN.MPA.215 Support programme
Applies from 16 February 2022
(a) The operator shall make available to and ensure, enable and facilitate access to a
proactive and non-punitive support programme for flight crew members that will assist
those persons to recognise, cope with and overcome any problem which could negatively
affect their ability to safely exercise the privileges of their licence.
(b) The operator shall have adequate security measures in place for the protection and
confidentiality of personal data contained within the support programme.

Reference SUBPART B OPERATING PROCEDURES (CAT.OP)
CAT.OP.MPA.100 Use of air traffic services
(a) The operator shall ensure that:
(1) air traffic services (ATS) appropriate to the airspace and the applicable rules of the
air are used for all flights whenever available;
(2) in-flight operational instructions involving a change to the ATS flight plan, when
practicable, are coordinated with the appropriate ATS unit before transmission to an
aircraft.
(b) Notwithstanding (a), the use of ATS is not required unless mandated by air space
requirements for:
(1) operations under VFR by day of other-than complex motor-powered aeroplanes;
(2) helicopters with an MCTOM of 3 175 kg or less operated by day and over routes
navigated by reference to visual landmarks; or
(3) local helicopter operations,
provided that search and rescue service arrangements can be maintained.
CAT.OP.MPA.100(a)(2) GM1 Use of air traffic services
IN-FLIGHT OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
When coordination with an appropriate air traffic service (ATS) unit has not been possible, in-flight
operational instructions do not relieve a commander of the responsibility for obtaining an appropriate
clearance from an ATS unit, if applicable, before making a change in flight plan.
CAT.OP.MPA.105 Use of aerodromes and operating sites
(a) The operator shall only use aerodromes and operating sites that are adequate for the
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