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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 96 - Hilton Head - October 2005
Agenda Location	5 SUBCOMMITTEE C - AVIONICS AND SYSTEM 5.2 The Implementation of Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum in the Domestic United States Airspace
Title	The Implementation of Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum in the Domestic United States Airspace
Presenter	Brian Colamosca
Affiliation	FAA
Available Downloads*	presentation
	Downloads are available to members who are logged in and either Active* or attended this meeting.
Abstract	On January 20, 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, implemented a change in the required vertical spacing between aircraft operating at high altitudes. Previous to this date, the minimum vertical spacing between aircraft on the same route was 2000 feet. The change reduced this minimum to 1000 feet, leading to the name Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum, or RVSM. Regarded widely as the most comprehensive change to high-altitude airspace since the introduction of radar in the early 1960’s, the RVSM has led to reduction in aircraft fuel use and also to an increase in the flexibility available to air traffic controllers when organizing and overseeing aircraft movements. A key component of preparations for introduction of the RVSM was a comprehensive analysis of the safety of the change. In conducting the safety analysis, the FAA placed special emphasis on ensuring that aircraft altimetry systems were compliant with stringent safety requirements. Demonstration of this compliance involved conduct of an extensive program to monitor aircraft height-keeping performance. In order to overcome technical challenges associated with monitoring height-keeping performance, the FAA Technical Center developed an analysis process which takes advantage of Center-developed novel systems for measuring aircraft geometric height. The presentation provides technical details of the analytical process and empirical evidence of aircraft height-keeping performance derived from the systems.