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NOTAM fun - Collins databases

I just came across this NOTAM. that must be a joke regarding the prices Collins seems to charge for their stuff:

EDWW EDGG EDMM GNSS AREA-WIDE OPRATIONS B1696/17
From 09 Nov 2017 00:00 until 04 Jan 2018 00:00

DELETION OF APPROACH PROCEDURES IN ROCKWELL COLLINS FMS DATABASES

WHEN RECEIVING THE ARRIVAL OR APPROACH CLEARANCE, CREWS FLYING AN
AIRCRAFT WITH ROCKWELL COLLINS LIMITED NAVIGATION DATABASES SHALL
INDICATE THE INABILITY TO FOLLOW THE ASSIGNED CLEARANCE BY THE
FOLLOWING PHRASEOLOGY:

‘’LIMITED DATABASE, REQUEST RADAR VECTORS (OR ALTERNATIVE CLEARANCE,
IF AVAILABLE)’’

EXPLANATION:
DUE TO THE DELETION OF NUMEROUS FMS WAYPOINTS AND UP TO 35 PER CENT
OF THE APPROACH PROCEDURES, CUSTOMERS OF SEVERAL ROCKWELL COLLINS
NAVIGATION DATABASES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXECUTE CERTAIN
(RNAV OR GPS)
STARS, TRANSITIONS AND APPROACHES TO GERMAN AIRPORTS STARTING WITH
AIRAC CYCLE 1712 (09 NOV 2017).

DUE TO MISSING DATA THESE FLIGHTS HAVE TO BE PROVIDED WITH RADAR
VECTORS OR ALTERNATIVE CLEARANCES BY ATC.

PROBLEMS WITH THIS PROCEDURE SHALL BE REPORTED TO:

ATM-SUPPORT(AT)DFS.DE
www.ing-golze.de
EDAZ

In all fairness, there are some similar problems with Garmin boxes.

The underlying problem in my humble opinion is the rigid certification regime for aeronautical systems, which made sense when the most complex piece of equipment in a panel was an HSI. But with today’s electronics, it is on the one hand impossible to prove that they work in the desired way on initial certification, but it is just made a lot harder to fix problems later as it is standard procedure everywhere else where IT is involved. All the while there is no financial incentive for avionics manufacturers to provide longterm support that would keep things up to date such as my Macbook, which I just upgraded to the latest OS version (for free of course). ;)

There is a serious software problem with proline 4 and 21 that in very specific circumstances means that an aircraft could turn the wrong way on an approach. As a result they have deleted 1/3 of the approaches. It isnt a database issue and only arises when temperature compensation is done and preset altitudes are changed.

EGTK Oxford
3 Posts
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