Climb Via: ATC Procedures and
Phraseology Informational Video for Pilots
Area Navigation (RNAV) procedures are being designed
and implemented for terminal departures and arrivals.
The potential benefits of introducing these new
procedures for appropriately equipped aircraft include:
1) more fuel efficient and time saving routings
2) reduced dependence on radar vectoring, altitude
and speed assignments that contribute to frequency
congestion
3) more efficient use of inherently limited terminal
airspace.
As operational implementation of RNAV procedures
began, analysis of occasional failures to comply with
RNAV Standard Instrument Departure (SID) clearances
focused attention on a number of issues. This study
focused on issues involving Air Traffic Control (ATC)
phraseology used for issuing clearances to join a
departure route and for returning aircraft to SIDs after
issuing a required altitude, speed, and/or heading
change. In these cases, ATC may not have effectively
communicated the intent of the issued instruction. The
Pilot/Controller Phraseology and Procedures Action Team
(P/CPP AT), under the Departure and Landing Workgroup of
the Performance Based Operational Aviation Rulemaking
Committee (PARC), established to address such
pilot/controller procedure and phraseology issues,
sponsored this study. The P/CPP AT, composed of air
traffic, aviation, pilot, and controller union subject
matter experts, proposed changes to the FAA Order
7110.65, the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), and
the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). They
identified an operational need to establish Climb Via
procedures and phraseology for SIDs, similar to the
"descend via" procedures and phraseology in current use
for Standard Terminal Arrival charts (STAR’s),.
Accordingly, the P/CPP AT drafted new procedures and
phraseology for addition to FAA Order 7110.65 (Air
Traffic Control), paragraph 4-5-7, describing the Climb
Via instructions [see Appendix C: Draft Document Change
Proposal (DCP)]. The proposed phraseology was developed
primarily to address potential misunderstandings of RNAV
SIDs, however, the issues addressed by the new
phraseology apply to all SIDs.
As a result of the study, the proposed "Climb Via"
phraseology was refined, and a Climb Via Pilot
Informational video (linked here), was developed to
clarify phraseology and procedures, as well as other
RNAV departure related information.
Link to video:
