I know we don't have to many IFR pilots here but there are some who may have missed this.
copied from Aero-News.net with thanks.

NBAA: Pilots Need To Prepare For Procedural Changes On Standard Instrument Departures

Significant changes are on the horizon that will affect pilots flying instrument departures and arrivals, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) reported today. Pilots unfamiliar with the changes could be faced with separation losses, pilot deviations and potentially tense moments in the cockpit. At the heart of the changes is a seemingly innocuous instruction, “Climb Via.” Following years of discussion, the new Climb Via instruction for standard instrument departures (SIDs) is scheduled to go live on Aug. 15, 2012. It mirrors the similar "Descend Via" instruction already being issued for standard terminal arrival route (STAR) procedures.

With the new instructions will come new terms and phrases used by air traffic controllers, and important changes with how pilots are expected to fly Climb Via SIDs. Members of the NBAA Access Committee – which focuses on issues affecting Member access to the National Airspace System (NAS) – believe the way for pilots to avoid problems lies with a pilot's knowledge and proper interpretation of charted altitude restrictions.

“Currently, ATC is not required to provide an assigned altitude to maintain with the initial IFR clearance when that altitude is published on the SID chart,” said NBAA Access Committee member Rich Boll. “That ‘maintain’ altitude may be the only one the pilot sees when looking at the SID.

“However, many SID procedures also have published, intermediate-altitude restrictions, including 'at,' 'at or below,' or 'at or above' restrictions, which must be followed for ATC separation purposes," Boll continued. “When issued a Climb Via clearance, pilots will be expected to abide by all restrictions listed on the procedure when vertically navigating the SID and climbing to the initial ‘maintain altitude’ published on the SID.”

Failure to comply with the charted SID procedure could result in a pilot deviation.

“Traditionally, pilots expect an initial altitude assignment to climb and maintain,” noted Keith Gordon, NBAA representative on the Las Vegas Valley Airspace Users’ Council and member of the NBAA Access Committee. “Climb Via is a streamlined way to say climb in accordance with any charted ‘at,’ ‘at or below,’ or ‘at or above’ altitudes on the SID. Many pilots aren't used to determining whether procedures contain mandatory altitude restrictions on the way up to their assigned altitude. That could lead to altitude busts, resulting in a loss of separation between departing and arriving traffic, and pilot violations.”

Boll added that such errors occurred during an early implementation of RNAV SIDs at a major air carrier hub in the western United States. “Pilots who were not adequately briefed on the procedures simply flew through the altitudes, resulting in a loss of separation,” he said.

Along with charted altitude restrictions, pilots will also be required to comply with published speed restrictions on instrument flight procedures, though controllers may still issue speed adjustments if needed. Once the adjustment is no longer required, ATC may advise aircraft to “resume published speed,” with no additional guidance provided.

Glass jets shouldn't have any trouble. Wouldn't want to be flying a DC-10 or 747 Classic with Litton 92s though.

Europe has been headed that way for a while now. Shifts navigation and separation requirements from ATC to the flight crew.

Shifts navigation and separation requirements from ATC to the flight crew.

...which maybe is where it should have been all along.

Cary

If you think about the evolution of IFR, it does make sense. With the old style equipment, your situational awareness was all in your mind. You have to visualize every detail based on what a couple of needles told you. Now with graphic displays, you can see your position in relation to everything else. So it is becoming more like driving on roads with your Tom Tom. With the introduction of the latest generation radar and transponders, you can see the traffic as well. So IFR could in theory become like VFR, with the aircrew doing its own separation. The glaring hole is; those of us with small, vintage aircraft with minimal equipment in the same airspace. We are kind of the squirrel crossing the street in traffic, we become road kill.

So get ready for greater equipment requirements. Homeland security already wants everybody to have Mode S, to uniquely identify each airplane. We can use citizen groups to push the FAA around, but Homeland security seems to be impervious to the wishes of the many. Then again, if we all had Mode S, we could move on to a different airspace utilization concept.

dogpilot wrote: Then again, if we all had Mode S, we could move on to a different airspace utilization concept.

Which one would that be? Really. I'm not instrument rated but I'm wondering how mode S would benefit me.

Provided you had a bit of equipment (like a Garmin handheld with TIS, 396, 496 696, 796 and so on), you can get traffic via your transponder. Two competing systems currently in use, TIS being the cheapest, and available in limited ares and being phased out. So in the off chance you fly to even moderately congested areas, you may lessen your chances of being center punched. Why just their week I had to go down to Prescott, with their three competing flight schools, quite the beehive of activity. With all the students, all the greater chance of being a smoking hole.

Now Homeland security does not give a whit about what it does for you or costs you for that matter.

Gottcha. Thanks.

EB

Stickman wrote:Glass jets shouldn't have any trouble. Wouldn't want to be flying a DC-10 or 747 Classic with Litton 92s though.

Europe has been headed that way for a while now. Shifts navigation and separation requirements from ATC to the flight crew.

How about a G2 with Carousel 4s? Our glass consists of my iPad.
You're right, in the EU most SIDs are built around noise abatement and missing the little village that is 700 years old. So we generally will fly the entire SID as published with the odd shortcut after you get some altitude. Although when I lived in Turkey I think the noise rule said "Aeroflot WILL have at least one TU 154 or IL 96 departure at 3AM.

Dang...I haven't even SEEN a Carousel in years!

Aren't they RNP 10 or something? Probably better than the old VLF/Omega though....

RNP 5 with DME updating, the minimum to use in Europe. No point in upgrading until we have to....!

It's been a while, but it seems like you used to be able to enter "no DP's" in your flight plan, no? Of course I suppose ATC could make you wait awhile for a clearance too.

For sure all that stuff goes away when you don't do it. Or it might have been the whiskey, could have been the gin, could have been the 3 or 4 six-packs, I don't know....

On the subject of G2's, we had a customer that owned one who used to swing around and make a low pass (500' or greater of course) over our lodge strip when they departed the larger state airport. It was old school with the noisy engines and made ample black smoke. It was awesome!

Fortunately at most of the airports we go to there is an equivalent SID or STAR that can be flown by VHF or that are non-PRNAV and can be flown with our 9 waypoint RNP 5 INS's. So far we haven't been delayed because of it. Having said that there are more and more PRNAV procedures being printed every day. Back when these units came out they were great even with only 9 waypoints programmable at one time. Takeoff, fly direct to a VOR 75 miles away and off you go.

Now RNAV airways seem to have a turn every 20 to 30 miles so we are busy with the INS all the time. Usually what happens is we just get through programming the next 8 waypoints and ATC gives us direct to some point 160 miles down the road so it is back to heads down and do the next 9 points. At 460 knots they fly by pretty quick.
But I'm out of here on July 21 and, after painting the house, will be looking for a stateside job so I only have to jump through a 9 waypoint hoop for another month.

gbflyer wrote:On the subject of G2's, we had a customer that owned one who used to swing around and make a low pass (500' or greater of course) over our lodge strip when they departed the larger state airport. It was old school with the noisy engines and made ample black smoke. It was awesome!

Yup, TCAS is kind of redundant with Spey engines.

" No point in upgrading until we have to....!"

LOL, so true, if inconvenient for the crew.

As far as "no DPs" you can put it in your FP but you may be denied a clearance at all. A number of years ago we were flying from Frankfurt, Germany to Malmo, Sweden to pick up tsunami relief supplies for Penang. My FO called Frankfurt for clearance and stated "unable RNAV departure" since the database was out of date. The typical German response was "if unable departure, unable clearance."

I can't even imagine dealing with modern European airspace with only nine waypoints. With how many revised routings you get it must be pretty busy.

can't say that...

...I miss all that complexity. Just so the don't try to make me do it in my Maule or the DC-3. Low and slow. Hell we try to stay below the radar when possible.

Have fun guys. Done my time in the barrel.

bob