Jetstar News Segment

[Shamrock55]

Just watched the news and there was a segment about Jetstar just now getting RNAV ability for NZQN. Haven't Air NZ and Qantas been doing this for some time? Felt like a free advertisement for Jetstar

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Shamrock55 @ Apr 23 2010, 07:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just watched the news and there was a segment about Jetstar just now getting RNAV ability for NZQN. Haven't Air NZ and Qantas been doing this for some time? Felt like a free advertisement for Jetstar

Jetstar is QANTAS ... you may be right ..

[HamiltonWest]

QUOTE (Shamrock55 @ Apr 23 2010, 06:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just watched the news and there was a segment about Jetstar just now getting RNAV ability for NZQN. Haven't Air NZ and Qantas been doing this for some time? Felt like a free advertisement for Jetstar

Video of News item located here:
http://tvnz.co.nz/travel-news/flying-into-...r-3486859/video

[mavman]

What a joke.....Jetstar had to divert to Dunedin today due low cloud in ZQN, offloaded pax and bussed them to their destination....4 hours later!

So much for their RNP, incidentally Air NZ managed to land. (Infact, have had RNP technology and trained pilots on their B733's and A320's for over a year). Funny how Qantas sponsors the media awards.....

[andrewb]

Definitely felt like an advert for Jetstar, hence the line "used by some other airlines", when what they really meant was "Air New Zealand".

Did anyone else notice the Ansett logo on the side of the simulator at 0:52?

[AlisterC]

Qantas only used this procedure in their B737-800s coming from Australia, as their domestic NZ service was operated by B734, which were not equipped.
Air NZ have specially modified a 'few' of their 737-300s for the use of these procedures, and Air NZ had the first Airbus A320 fleet in the world certified for these RNP procedures.
But the key to remember here, is not just that the aircraft that needs to be certified, but the flight crew also.
From what I was told, the airlines are required to make a certain number of practice runs at these procedures, to demonstrate competence in good weather, what they wish to do in poor weather, in order to be qualified. This no doubt counts for the flight crew.
Perhaps while the procedure is now available for certain Jetstar crews, it might not be for all of them?
This is a good read:

Excellent Pacific Wings article on Air NZ starting RNP Queenstown

In particular this bit:

Phased Approval and Implementation

Designing an approach and modifying aircraft did not immediately give Air New Zealand the authority to operate RNP procedures into Queenstown. First, they had to train crews and validate the procedures.

A “control groupâ€￾ was formed, comprising 22 specially trained B737 pilots (11 crews). They were tasked with carrying out 90 approaches and departures in visual conditions.

Project pilots Captain Grant Fausett and First Officer Hugh Pearce flew Air New Zealand’s first RNP approach and departure at Queenstown on 20 October 2006. This was the start of Phase 1, which required a cloud base no lower than 10,000 feet (amsl).

During this period, data was retrieved from the aircraft’s recorders to monitor and verify that the procedures could be consistently flown within the parameters prescribed. This meant working closely with the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority.

Air New Zealand regularly forwarded information from the aircraft’s data downloads and flight crew written reports (which were required to be completed after every flight) to the CAA. CAA representatives also accompanied a number of RNP flights as observers and monitored the airline’s flight simulator exercises.

The implementation of Phase 2 allowed operations with a cloud base down to 5,000 ft (amsl).

Finally, in late March this year, the airline received its RNP approval from the New Zealand CAA, allowing operations to RNP 0.3, which has a decision altitude of just 2,423 ft (1,253 ft agl). This signalled the start of Phase 3 of the programme, which runs for 12 months, during which time, the airline continues to collect data from the aircraft recorders and the flight crew reports. At the end of this period, a decision will be made as to whether to enter Phase 4, which involves going below RNP 0.3. The aircraft actually has the capability to fly to RNP 0.11 minima, allowing a decision altitude of 1,421 ft (250 ft agl)!

Experience and Training are Keys to any Successful Operation

Air New Zealand takes its Queenstown operations very seriously. Not all of the airline’s 151 B737-300 pilots operate Queenstown services; the company prefers to have fewer pilots trained and approved so that they can be rostered to operate more regularly into the airport, thus maintaining high levels of currency and local experience.

At present, the company keeps 30 crews (30 captains and 30 first officers) trained and current for Queenstown operations and, by July, all should be qualified in RNP operations.

The airline requires that the captain must be the “pilot flyingâ€￾ for all Queenstown arrivals and departures (RNP, VOR or visual approaches or departures) and before a pilot can be released to operate into Queenstown, he or she must have been operating as a captain on the B737 for at least 6 months and have completed the simulator and line training package. First officers are also required to have completed at least 6 months flying on the B737 (with Air New Zealand) and must also complete the simulator training package.

RNP Qualification

The RNP qualification requires each pilot to complete a training programme, which involves a self study package, a short ground course, a computer-based examination and simulator training, followed by line-training with a company training captain. It doesn’t end there either, as each pilot must undergo an RNP recurrent/check simulator ride every 6 months (180 days).

Experience is also important, and an Air New Zealand B737-300 captain will typically have more than 10,000 flying hours in his or her logbook and will probably have been flying a jet aircraft for 10 years or more.