FAA’s New ERAM, WATRS Rules Take Effect This Month

By: by Chad Trautvetter

June 3, 2008
Regulations

According to NBAA, the implementation date for the FAA’s En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) program has been postponed from this Thursday, June 5, until June 29 to prevent conflict with the start of a new charting cycle and the transition to the West Atlantic Route System (WATRS). ERAM is the largest National Airspace System (NAS) equipment replacement program in the FAA’s history, supplanting legacy Host computer processing systems used in 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

The new Host systems will automatically assign preferential routes based on the equipment capability contained in an ICAO-filed flight plan, according to the FAA. The first operational use of ERAM, which will make the NAS system ICAO compatible, is scheduled for October at the Salt Lake City ARTCC.

Meanwhile, the WATRS Plus route structure redesign and separation reduction project, which takes effect this Thursday, will reduce the lateral separation standard for authorized required navigation performance 4 (RNP 4) and RNP 10 aircraft. It will also increase the number of routes available through WATRS airspace.

Back

FAA seeks comment on pilot certification rules March 01, 2010 Following the NTSB’s February 2 report on the Colgan Air accident, the FAA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) asking for... [more]
Hearing Scheduled on F’boro traffic February 22, 2010 The public inquiry into Tag Aviation’s application to increase the total number of permitted annual movements at the London-area Farnborough... [more]
SkyNode Satcom Obtains EASA Approval February 21, 2010 Latitude Technologies (Booth No. 2125) is announcing EASA certification of its SkyNode S200 satellite communication system for Eurocopter AS365... [more]
Sandel H-Taws nears certification February 20, 2010 Sandel Avionics is concluding certification flight testing of its helicopter-specific terrain awareness warning system and plans delivery of the... [more]
Study: pilots ignore oxygen regulations February 01, 2010 More than 60 percent of business jet pilots do not use oxygen masks when required to by FAA regulations, according to a survey conducted by... [more]