Avionics News September 2017 - 32

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Continued from page 31

and facilitate priority handling if warranted. Many flight
planning companies will also permit customers to use a
specialized call sign when you contract for flight planning
assistance. However, when used in an aircraft with ADS-B
Out, there are some things you'll need to consider.
For those who might not be used to using special call
signs and their associated telephonies, here's a quick
primer. There are three types of call sign designators and
telephonies authorized by the FAA:
1. International Civil Aviation Organization
three-letter designator.
2. U.S. special call sign designator.
3. Local call sign designator.
The ICAO 3LD is typically used by Part 121 and
135 operators, as well as corporations, government
agencies and charitable organizations. Using the earlier
example with Air Care Alliance flights, their ICAO 3LD
is "CMF" and associated telephony (for radio voice
communications) is "Compassion" plus the last three
or four digits of the aircraft's registration number. The
operator would need to use this code (e.g., CMF1234) in
the aircraft identification block of the flight plan and make
sure the ADS-B transponder transmits that same code
to avoid a CSMM. On the return or ferry leg, the pilot
should use the aircraft registration number as the call sign
and ensure that ADS-B is transmitting the registration
number.
Special call signs are mainly used to enable priority
handling by ATC. These might include civil aircraft used
for law enforcement, supporting medical emergencies or
disasters, or organized events. Operators flying civilian
Air Ambulance flights, for example, might use the call
sign "Medevac" or "Lifeguard" and coordinate with ATC
on any expeditious handling required. Note: you may see
some pilots operating medical emergency flights use the
"L" Lifeguard designator before their registration number
on their flight plan (e.g., LN777PW). Similarly, air taxi
operators who do not use a call sign should prefix their
registration number with the phonetic word Tango, and
file "TN ..." in their flight plan.
Finally, there are also local call signs that are used
only for local flight operations as specified in a letter
of agreement between the local ATC facility and the
requesting aircraft operator. Some larger flight schools
might have an agreement to use a local call sign in order
to reduce confusion and ambiguity among several similar
sounding aircraft operating in close proximity. This
practice can benefit both the pilots and ATC.
32

avionics news

*

september

2017

Call sign of the times
As you can see, there are several useful reasons for call
signs other than your registration number in the GA arena.
However, when ADS-B enters the mix, there's a potential
disconnect on how aircraft are identified.
"When the average GA pilot is authorized to use a special
call sign, they don't always realize that what they use as a
name on their flight plan has to match what their ADS-B unit
transmits," said James Kenney, an aviation safety inspector
with the FAA's Flight Technologies and Procedures Division
in Flight Standards. "If you're transporting rescue dogs and
using the call sign ARF234, that's great. But just remember
you have to change your ADS-B aircraft identification to
match that call sign. If your ADS-B doesn't allow you to
update the name, you'll have to revert to using your N-number
instead."
Kenney, who is the FAA point of contact for CSMM, is
leading an effort to help educate everyone from GA pilots
to air carriers on the need to properly align the aircraft
identification they transmit. Regular data feeds from ATC help
Kenney identify those involved in CSMMs. A single phone
call to an air carrier or corporate flight department can often go
a long way in preventing future occurrences. "But with single
GA operators, it's much more time-consuming to track these
folks down," Kenney said. Instead, the agency now hopes to
rely more on public outreach and industry briefings to educate
pilots on how to avoid CSMM issues.
A 30-day snapshot of U.S. air traffic data in July 2016
revealed a total of 44,226 flights with a CSMM. Most (67
percent) were from Part 121, 135 and 129 commercial
operators, but GA accounted for nearly 30 percent of CSMMs
in the study. Many of the GA aircraft were improperly
programmed during installation.
"We're currently in a proactive, helpful mode with the
industry," Kenney said. "We realize this is new technology
and that there will be a learning curve for some of these
procedures. However, the sooner we can get CSMM issues
down to a more manageable level, the sooner we can move
forward with enabling a more complete suite of features and
services for ADS-B and begin gathering more comprehensive
operational feedback."
What's your sign?
So what can pilots do to prevent CSMM? For starters,
Kenney suggests that pilots involved in specialty flying should
consider an ADS-B unit that has a pilot programmable call
sign feature. "If you go this route, you'll probably also want
to integrate the call sign update task into your normal preflight
checklist so you don't forget it," Kenney added.
Those operators who have already purchased an ADS-B
unit can check to see if it has a pilot programmable call sign



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News September 2017

No label
Avionics News September 2017 - Intro
Avionics News September 2017 - No label
Avionics News September 2017 - Cover2
Avionics News September 2017 - 1
Avionics News September 2017 - 2
Avionics News September 2017 - 3
Avionics News September 2017 - 4
Avionics News September 2017 - 5
Avionics News September 2017 - 6
Avionics News September 2017 - 7
Avionics News September 2017 - 8
Avionics News September 2017 - 9
Avionics News September 2017 - 10
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Avionics News September 2017 - 18
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Avionics News September 2017 - 20
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Avionics News September 2017 - 30
Avionics News September 2017 - 31
Avionics News September 2017 - 32
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Avionics News September 2017 - 71
Avionics News September 2017 - 72
Avionics News September 2017 - Cover3
Avionics News September 2017 - Cover4
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