RVSM Africa

[Apollo20]

RVSM regs

Gents
Easie peasie! here is a link for ya'll to read:

http://www.atns.co.za/RVSMimplement.pdf

It's the AIC giving all requirements.

Apollo20

[abc.fp]

Rags

Give ARMA a call and they can check for you if your aircraft is registered with them.

ARMA can be contacted:

Mr. Kevin Ewels
[phone]
[email protected]

It doesn't look like there are clear guidelines to us ATC's regarding on who is really RVSM approved and who not. I think that there might in the beginning be some instances where the information available to ATC is not complete. Its going to come down to pilot's integrity to a large extent.

The way I would personally handle the situation is to take your word for it, and check with ARMA (which is one phone call away) if I have my doubts. I believe that there are many DCA's which have granted approval to suitable aircraft yet have simply not forwarded this info to ARMA. This should take a week to sort out at the most i think.

What worries me however is that one of the pilots I spoke to of South Africas "CARJ" operator, told me that they are RVSM complient, and ARMA claims otherwise. (This was less than a week ago) So as far as I'm concerned, all CARJ's will fly FL280 and below as ARMA's information would supercede Pilot's reports?

[porra]

abc

If a Pilot reports "AFFIRM - RVSM Approved", we as ATC's go on that - it' the Pilots responsibility to ensure his paper work is in order.

[AirwayBlocker]

How's it going with RVSM in Africa? Mass confusion or is everything running smoothly?

[CJ750]

Running Smoothly...................HA HA HA. The fairies at Waterfall park are in total disagreement about thee regs that you cannot get the same answer from two different inspectors. This period is going to be interesting especially when they lose operators manuals for the 2nd time and say that is our problem not theirs.

I feel sorry for the competent inspectors at CAA . Good luck with your RVSM approvals Ladies and Gents. Chaos reigns supreme.....................

[Voel]

I guess RVSM change-over went smoothly. Some guys were chased out of the airspace, but thats life. The same big fuss was made during Y2K. Anyhow, good luck and may safety prevail

[porra]

I agree - RVSM change over went smoothly, a non-event really.

[126,7]

Some guys were chased out of the airspace, but thats life.

If you have no traffic, the space and the levels available, why not leave the chap at a higher level, even if he is not rvsm certified? Fuel is soooo expensive and a little service toward the client can never be bad either. Especially if your airspace is as big as the Windhoek FIR is.

[dendronite]

draw the line

If you have no traffic, the space and the levels available, why not leave the chap at a higher level, even if he is not rvsm certified? Fuel is soooo expensive and a little service toward the client can never be bad either. Especially if your airspace is as big as the Windhoek FIR is.

Fuel is expensive but if the transition allows for any transgression then the law will have less affect.
We have had plenty of warning and time to all become compliant. Not like some companies whose management style is reactive.
I won't mention names but just go and see the last minute rushers all of a sudden attending RVSM courses at cranfield for example.
You can hear their requested flight levels being denied due to aircraft not being certified etc.

I love it when crisis managers feel the pinch

Saving fuel etc

[Voel]

126,7 we had a long discussion about this and I agree, I would have no problem letting those guys into RVSM airspace. But tommorrow another "work by the rule " ATC is on duty and you turn around saying that ATC X allowed me into RVSM airpsace. This creates a lot of a animosity in our already fagile working environment. The Germans say : Wo ein Wille ist, ist ein Weg

[Knold]

Wish I'd read this post 24 hrs ago. Nearly shat myself when I saw my flight plan for FL 320-340-360 yesterday.
Our documents said nought about RVSM being engaged.

Worked without a hitch though. Libreville - Rabat. That route takes you pretty much through all them nasty countries. Didn't try Congo with RVSM yet but if I know my own luck it will be too soon.

BTW, Which level are all those "secret" russian planes without transponder gonna hide at now? +/- 500 feet?

[atco749]

Successful

hey all you doubting thomas'...RVSM is going smoothly and has been a success for the past few days....it is surprising though that most airlines had not advised their pilots....ref knold...and many other airlines...what are those dispatchers employed to do?? better still dont pilots read AICs or AIP??? seriously!!!

[Knold]

Well of course I don't read AIC and AIP. Do you subscribe to all the worlds AIP services? If you do, I guess you do nothing else than update that behemoth of a library you must have.

At the risk of being corrected I think there should have been more heads up from Jeppesen. Compared to all the hubbub when RVSM was introduced in Europe, the introduction in Africa has been dead silent.

On a serious note, who will regulate that all aircraft comply?
Anyone who's been to middle Africa knows it all comes down to nepotism. My fear is that many planes will have local CAA approval for RVSM no matter the state of the equipment.

[yambat]

We came down across Africa two nights ago, surprised to hear some Euro airlines unaware about African RVSM, complaining its not on the charts (it is) Was strange crossing Sudan with opposite traffic 1000 below. More strange was the climb from 290 to 310 on our route, thinking that 310 was the non RVSM level northbound a few days ago, lots of wing floods on when passing each other!!

[ARENDIII]

RVSM

Hee Hee Hee!
Got all you going I see!
Well I guess I'll still be haulin my 20 tonnes a' freight round da woild-na'h worring ta much bout dat cosmic radiation and still usin a lot less gas than you chaps!
Looks ta be a lot quieter down here at 270.
Keep smoiling and safe flying for ye all.
ArendIII.

[msr001]

Cairo---Lagos---Accra RVSM all the way.

We used to fly from Cairo to Lagos And Accra FL350 Southbound And FL370 Northbound.

But that's all history now..
Startring from Cairo FIR, Tripolli, Ndjamina, Niamy, Kano, Lagos, it's all RVSM.

Doesn't mean that you're under radar but it's still a major step.

[farfromterrafirma]

smooth transition?

Until this morning i believed, and from flying in the new RVSM airspace agreed that we DID transition smoothly to RVSM, but come on, if we're gona do this, all of us, ATC, Pilots and all involved in aviation should know whats going on, or AT LEAST have and IDEA for goodness sakes!!

After calling for start at an African airport (lets just say it lies between namibia and the DRC) and requesting FL 430 i was denied the flight level!! after askin why, i could not get an answer, yet flight level 400 was offered. After several attempts, another pilot (sitting and listening to this from his aircraft in a well established airline) cut in on the conversation and told me i was requesting the wrong level and wasnt complying with RVSM and should choose an even level??? what??!!
the tower thereafter offered FL 400 or FL420 (FL420????) I just laughed it off and eventually accepted FL400...

just an example of the lack of understanding of the new airspace...
any other similar incidents???

[CJ750]

Was that pilot from an airline that took some 747-400's out of mothballs to fly for the country between Namibia and the DRC. Some Skygods know everything .