industry The sum of all performance-based navigation procedures S T O R Y B Y D A V I D H U G H E S , HIGHLIGHTS Plans to create a PBNcentric NAS - one of NextGen's primary goals - are outlined in the PBN NAS Navigation Strategy 2016, which details objectives from 2020 to 2030 and beyond. * * The FAA has already published more than 9,000 PBN procedures and routes. * PBN procedures and routes save time and fuel while reducing emissions and government spending on ground-based navaids. 48 avionics news * july 2017 F A A N E X T G E N O U T R E A C H N A N D R E P O R T I N G extGen is on track and delivering benefits to aircraft operators. A prime example of how the Federal Aviation Administration's modernization program is transforming the national airspace system is a nationwide network of more than 9,000 performance-based navigation procedures and routes. PBN benefits for general aviation aircraft operators include improved access to many general aviation airports during reduced visibility. PBN is an advanced, satellite-enabled form of air navigation that creates precise 3-D flight paths. If an aircraft relies on satellite positioning with GPS or wide area augmentation system, its avionics can navigate a flight path with much greater precision and accuracy than with legacy navigational systems. GPS and its augmentation systems constitute what is known internationally as a global navigation satellite system. PBN procedures require various avionics capabilities depending on the level of navigation precision involved. Because of mixed equipage, not all aircraft can fly the most-demanding types of PBN procedures. New aircraft usually have the latest avionics while older aircraft have a mix of avionics of various ages and capabilities. Replacing aging equipment can prove too expensive for some aircraft operators and may lead to an aircraft being retired. In other cases, an aircraft's existing equipment may be adequate for the types of flight operations planned.