RTCA’s Program Management Committee (PMC) held its final 2020 meeting approving seven guidance documents (for a total of 25 for the year!), reviewing workplans for the Special Committees (SC), and incorporating changes to the various committee Terms of Reference (TOR) that reflect leadership and work plan changes.

Chaired by Dr. Chris Hegarty of The MITRE Corporation, the 19-member PMC is the RTCA oversight body charged with producing timely and robust standards and guidance documents to ensure interoperability of aviation systems and equipment. The standards encourage innovation and serve as the basis for meeting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. An important responsibility of the PMC is ensuring the operational application of the technical standards.

The Members of the PMC approved seven standards:

·       DO-181F – Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System/Mode Select (ATCRBS/Mode S) Airborne Equipment, presented by SC-209 ATCRBS/Mode S Transponder.

This document sets forth minimum operational performance standards for Mode Select (Mode S)1 airborne equipment. Incorporated within these standards are system characteristics that will be useful to users of the system as well as designers, manufacturers, and installers.

·       DO-260C – Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for 1090 MHz Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B), presented by SC-186 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

This document contains MOPS for airborne equipment for ADS-B and Traffic Information Service – Broadcast (TIS-B) utilizing 1090 MHz Mode S Extended Squitter (1090ES). The supporting hardware can be incorporated within other on-board equipment, or alternatively, the ADS-B equipment may be a separate avionics unit.

·       DO-361A Change 1 – Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for Flight-deck Interval Management (FIM) Change 1, presented by SC-186 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

This change includes updates, corrections, and additional materials to support implementation of the Flight-deck Interval Management (FIM) MOPS DO-361A / ED-236A. The largest of these is the inclusion of Test Vectors in Appendix G and related supplemental material.

·       DO-362A – Command and Control (C2) Data Link Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) (Terrestrial), presented by SC-228 Minimum Performance Standards for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

This document contains MOPS for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Command and Control (C2) Data Link (Control and Non-Payload Communication (CNPC) terrestrial Link System) used to support the Command and Control functions of a UAS. The CNPC includes the Link System supporting remote pilot-to/from-ATC voice communications, also referred to as ATC relay. Payload communications specifically include communications associated with the UA mission payloads, which do not contain safety-of-flight information.

·       DO-384 – Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for GNSS Aided Inertial Systems, presented by SC-159 Navigation Equipment Using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

The purpose of this document is to provide MOPS for GNSS aided inertial systems including GNSS-aided attitude heading reference systems. This document provides performance standards for an expanded range of inertial sensor technologies and integrations from short-range, loosely coupled to long-range, tightly-coupled covering a wider range of operations. Additionally, this document includes GNSS-aided performance standards used for attitude, heading and velocity information which is not covered in other documents.

·       DO-386 Vol I and Vol II – Minimum Operational Standards for Airborne Collision Avoidance System Xu (ACAS Xu), prepared by SC-147 – Traffic Alert & Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)

This set of documents defines the minimum operational performance standards (Vol I) and Algorithm Design Descriptions (Vol II) for the Airborne Collision Avoidance System Xu (ACAS Xu) equipment, designed for platforms with a wide range of surveillance technologies and performance characteristics such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

·       DO-388 – Guidance Document on Aircraft Cleaning and Disinfection, prepared by SC-241 – Cockpit and Cabin Cleaning

This document contains best practices and technologies for aircraft cabin and flight deck cleaning/disinfecting for use by all aircraft operators. Although the guidance is intended specifically for airline use, it could also be beneficial to large charter operators, corporate and fractional ownership operators, and general aviation operators. It is intended to be a “living” document to be updated in the future as best practices and technologies improve, and so be useful for protection against this and any future pandemics.

Seven special committees (SCs) received approval for changes to their work plans.  These included SC-159 – Navigation Equipment Using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), SC-186 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), SC-213 – Enhanced Flight Vision Systems and Synthetic Vision Systems (EFVS/SVS), SC-216 – Aeronautical Information Systems Security, SC-223 – Internet Protocol Suite (IPS) and AeroMACS, SC-238 – Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and SC-239 – Low Range Radar Altimeter.