RNAV Versus RNP

Shakespeare elegantly downplays the importance of naming in Romeo and Juliet, writing: Whats in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. What matters is the subject and not what the subject is called. But this is an over-simplification because changing the subject would make the quote non-sense: That which we call a fish by any other name would smell as sweet. Words have meaning.

jmiller

Friday, July 14, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) proposed renaming Area Navigation (RNAV) approach charts to Required Navigational Performance (RNP) to standardize performance-based navigation (PBN).
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other international bodies oppose this change due to significant costs for avionics updates, potential confusion for pilots regarding the specific meanings of RNAV/RNP, and increased workload for Air Traffic Control.
The FAA's Performance Based Aviation Rulemaking Committee (PARC) cited concerns about pilot interpretation of "RNP" and the minimal global adoption of ICAO's new titling scheme.
As a result of this pushback, the U.S. is not complying with ICAO's guidance, making the widespread implementation of RNP-titled charts unlikely, and pilots still need to understand the distinction between general navigation terms and specific navigation specifications on current charts.

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Shakespeare elegantly downplays the importance of naming in Romeo and Juliet, writing: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” What matters is the subject and not what the subject is called. But this is an over-simplification because changing the subject would make the quote non-sense: That which we call a fish by any other name would smell as sweet. Words have meaning.

The meanings that words convey are particularly important in aviation and are the genesis of a food-fight between ICAO and the FAA. ICAO wants to re-name RNAV approaches RNP and the FAA is balking at the idea—as are many other countries. The controversy surrounds defining RNAV/RNP and what those terms mean to pilots.