Section 1, Chapter 19 - NAS Flashcards
What is the availability of NAS and the procedures during its shutdown?
Availability: NAS is normally available 24 hours a day.
Maintenance: Sometimes the system needs to be taken out of service for essential maintenance.
* Parameters in the system will be adjusted to provide data ahead of the normal time to alleviate the effect of interruptions.
* Planned shutdowns will be announced via a NATS Facility Interruption.
* Appropriate information will be sent to each FSP shortly before the shutdown time.
During Shutdown: Estimates and squawks will be passed manually.
What are the NAS update procedures for departures and arrivals?
Departures: NAS departure updates will appear on EFPS 20 minutes before the Estimated Off-Block Time (EOBT).
Arrivals: Arrival strips will appear approximately 30 minutes before the holding fix.
* For departures from proximate airfields (e.g., EIDW, EGPK, EGNS) where the overall flight time may be less than 30 minutes, strips will be produced when the departure time is input into the system.
What are the NAS update procedures for departures and arrivals in the approach control (APC)?
Departures: Will appear in approach when they are taxied by ADC.
Arrivals: NAS data on all arrivals will appear on EFPS approximately 30 minutes before the holding fix.
* EGAC arrivals will appear as overflights and will have estimates for MAGEE, and other NI airfields for BEL VOR.
* Overflying aircraft at FL100 or below, routing via P600 or the Belfast TMA, will continue to be manually coordinated as per MATS Part 2, Section 4, 4.1.2.8.
What are the procedures during a NAS failure?
Notification: The Data System Specialist (DSS) at LTCC will keep the ATC watch manager at LAC informed about the actions being taken to restore NAS.
Point of Contact: The LAC Watch Manager is the point of contact for all ATC units regarding the recovery.
System Indicators and Functionality:
- The NAS status box in the system health area of EFPS will turn blue.
- EFPS will continue to produce strips via the AFTN feed, though some flight plan data such as SSR codes and NAS ETA will not be present.
Communication Procedures:
- PC shall pass EGAA RAD inbound estimates and squawks via telephone.
- EGAA will pass departure warnings to PC and request squawks.
- EGAA will pass airborne times to PC.
Technical Services:
- The Technical Services Manager (TSM) will endeavor to call within 15 minutes, stating awareness of the fault and any resolution action.
- If needed for operational reasons, controllers may contact TSM sooner, but should be aware that TSM may be dealing with multiple calls.
What are the procedures and considerations for planned NAS shutdowns?
- Notification: Outages are notified via a facility interrupt (FI), advising when the system will be out of service.
- Timing: Planned shutdowns are scheduled to occur during times of low traffic, typically at night.
- Computer Identification (CID) During Shutdown: During NAS shutdown, the CID on flight strips will be found in the local edit popup.
What are the procedures for handling NAS update messages related to Time Update/Level Change and SSR Change?
Time Update / Level Change:
- These updates will appear in the relevant data field with a dark background.
- To acknowledge/reconcile the message, dab on the box, and it will return to the native color of the strip.
SSR Change:
- These updates will appear in the relevant data field with the call sign flashing to indicate a change to the flight strip.
- To acknowledge/reconcile the message, dab on the call sign to display the reconcile popup showing the SSR change.
What information does NAS EFPS display for departures?
NAS EFPS displays the Estimated Off-Block Time (EOBT) for departures.
What is the role of Copperchase in flight data management?
Copperchase will continue to be available for the production of local strips. Although flights will still be received into FDMS, no strips will be printed from it.
