Serial Number: 2018_003_Revision 1 Issued: 23 February 2021
Subject: Waypoint Insertion / Verification Special Emphasis Items Effective: 23 February 2021
Originator: NAT SPG
The purpose of this North Atlantic Operations (NAT OPS) Bulletin is to provide guidance to North Atlantic
(NAT) operators on material to be included in pilot and dispatcher training programs and operations manuals
with the intent of raising pilot and dispatcher awareness of the importance of following existing procedures
where half degree waypoint identifiers are used.
Any queries about the content of the attached document should be addressed to:
ICAO EUR/NAT Office: [email protected]
NOTICE
NAT Ops Bulletins are used to distribute information on behalf of the North Atlantic Systems Planning Group (NAT SPG). The material
contained therein may be developed within the working structure of the NAT SPG or be third party documents posted at the request of
a NAT SPG Member State. A printed or electronic copy of this Bulletin, plus any associated documentation, is provided to the recipient
as is and without any warranties as to its description, condition, quality, fitness for purpose or functionality and for use by the recipient
solely for guidance only. The information published by ICAO in this document is made available without warranty of any kind; the
Organization accepts no responsibility or liability whether direct or indirect, as to the currency, accuracy or quality of the information,
nor for any consequence of its use. The designations and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of ICAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The NAT OPS Bulletin Checklist is available at www.icao.int/EURNAT/EUR & NAT Documents, NAT
Documents, then NAT Ops Bulletins.
There is no objection to the reproduction of extracts of information contained in this Bulletin if the source is
acknowledged.
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2 NAT OPS Bulletin 2018-003 – NAT Waypoint Insertion/Verification SEI – Revision 1 2
NAT OPERATIONS BULLETIN – WAYPOINT INSERTION / VERIFICATION SPECIAL EMPHASIS ITEMS
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Operator attention is directed to Attachment A. It provides a “quick reference” for the Special
Emphasis Items contained in this bulletin. It is intended to be used as a job aid for operators
developing pilot and dispatcher training material.
1.2 The following is an explanation of the terms “should”, “must” and “shall” as used in this bulletin.
a) “Should” is used to indicate a recommended practice or policy that is considered as desirable for
the safety of operations.
b) “Shall” and “must” are used to indicate a practice or policy that is considered as necessary for the
safety of operations.
1.3 Special Emphasis Items for Operators. The Special Emphasis Items (SEI) listed below should be
incorporated into operator training programs and operations manuals with the intent of raising pilot
and dispatcher awareness of the importance of following procedures in an environment where half
degree waypoints are applied. Each SEI is followed by an explanation of the factors leading it to be
identified as an SEI.
2. PILOT TRAINING ON MAP AND FMC DISPLAYS OF HALF DEGREE AND WHOLE
DEGREE WAYPOINTS:
2.1 To mitigate misinterpretation of waypoint coordinates, operator initial and re-current training
programs and operations manuals must incorporate training and guidance to enable pilots to
understand map and FMC displays of half degree and whole degree waypoints regardless of the
waypoint format being used for waypoint FMC input.
Explanation
a) Map displays and certain FMC pages generally do not display full waypoint degrees and minutes,
e.g. when the full 13 latitude/longitude characters are used to insert half degree waypoints. See
Figure 1 and Figure 2 in Attachment B.
3. AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION DATABASE (NDB) WAYPOINT IDENTIFIERS:
3.1 In 2015, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and Iceland published Aeronautical Information Circulars
(AIC) strongly advocating that aircraft NDB vendors and flight planning services not provide operators
with half-degree waypoint identifiers in the ARINC 424, paragraph 7.2.5. “N-prefix” format (e.g.,
N5250 = 52o30’ NORTH 050o00’WEST). (See Canada AIC 23/15 (23 July 2015), UK AIC 059/2015
(9 July 2015) and AIP Iceland ENR 1.3.1.2).
3.2 NAT operators should use a full latitude/longitude (e.g., 13-character) input for waypoints containing
both half-degree and whole degrees of latitude and whole degrees of longitude.
3.3 NAT operators with an operational need to populate the aircraft NDB with a 5-character waypoint
identifier should ensure that the aircraft NDB vendors and flight planning services use an alternate
half-degree of latitude 5-character format such as Hxxyy, where xx = degrees and 30 minutes of
NORTH latitude and yy = degrees of WEST longitude (e.g., H5250 = 52o30’ NORTH 050o00’
WEST). (It is recognized that, for whole degree waypoint inputs, such operators will likely continue
using the ARINC 424, 7.2.5 “N-suffix” format (e.g., 5250N = 52o 00’ NORTH 050o00’WEST)).
3.4 The CPDLC route clearance will be uplinked in a full Lat/Long format that will be unfamiliar to the
flight crews using an ARINC 424, 7.2.5 format. Operators with an operational need to populate
the aircraft NDB with a 5-character waypoint identifier format need to ensure flight crews are
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properly trained on the use of the full Lat/Long waypoint format in uplink messages. They must also
emphasize the necessity for proper waypoint verification procedures.
Explanation
a) Half-degree waypoint identifiers in the ARINC 424, paragraph 7.2.5 “N-prefix” format have led
to a number of Gross Navigation Errors (GNEs) and Lateral Deviations. The guidance for
waypoint insertion in this document is intended to remove the potential for such errors. They
occur when a pilot intending to input a waypoint defined by a half-degree of latitude inadvertently
loads a waypoint containing a whole-degree of latitude, or vice versa, because the “N” is not
loaded in the correct pre-fix or suffix position.
3.5 Oceanic Clearances containing a re-route issued by voice/OCL may include half-degree waypoints.
Operators should ensure that their flight crew procedures and associated training are sufficiently robust
to mitigate against navigational error due to waypoint insertion errors.
3.6 NOTE - Flight Crews are reminded they have the option to respond “UNABLE” to an oceanic re-route
and negotiate with ATC accordingly.
4. PILOT PROCEDURES FOR VERIFYING WAYPOINT DEGREES AND MINUTES
INSERTED INTO AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION SYSTEMS:
4.1 Procedures must be used to display and verify the DEGREES and MINUTES loaded into the Flight
Management Computer (FMC) for the “un-named” (Lat/Long) waypoints defining the route contained
in the oceanic clearance. (The “Sample Oceanic Checklist” NAT OES Bulletin refers).
4.2 Regardless of FMC waypoint format and entry method, crew procedures should be designed to
promote strong crew resource management techniques, to prevent opportunities for error occurring as
a result of confirmation bias and to generally maintain an attitude of healthy suspicion. Accordingly,
the waypoint verification procedures should be conducted as detailed below.
• During pre-flight long-range navigation system (LRNS) programming, both pilots independently
verify the full latitude and longitude coordinates of “un-named” (Lat/Long) waypoints defining
the expected route of flight within oceanic airspace as entered in the FMC.
• Upon receipt of a revised oceanic clearance (i.e., one not conforming to the flight planned route),
both pilots independently verify the full latitude and longitude coordinates of “un-named”
(Lat/Long) waypoints defining the route contained in the revised oceanic clearance.
• Approaching an oceanic waypoint, one pilot should verify the full latitude and longitude
coordinates of that waypoint in the FMC, the NEXT and NEXT +1 waypoints, while the other
pilot crosschecks the latitude and longitude coordinates against the master flight plan/oceanic
clearance.
Explanation
a) Due to the factors in the map and FMC display of half degree and whole degree waypoints, it is
imperative that pilots follow the procedure in this document to avoid lateral errors caused by
incorrect insertion of waypoints. Verification of the full DEGREES and MINUTES of oceanic
waypoints loaded into the FMC is a critical step in ensuring a proper navigational load.
5. PILOT TRACK AND DISTANCE CHECK:
5.1 It is strongly recommended that pilot pre-flight and in-flight procedures call for the pilot to compare
the track and distance between waypoints shown on the Computer Flight Plan (CFP) to those displayed
by the FMC. (The NAT “Sample Oceanic Checklist” Bulletin refers).
5.2 Pilots should be aware that waypoint insertion errors of half degree of latitude may in some cases
result in only small differences in track and distance, however, the track and distance check can help
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prevent waypoint insertion errors of one degree or more that have been observed in oceanic operations.
Note: the currency of magnetic variation tables loaded into aircraft navigation databases and the point at
which the track is measured affect the track displayed on the FMC by as much as ±3 degrees.
Explanation
a) This check remains valuable because waypoint insertion errors are not limited to half degree
errors and waypoint insertion errors of one degree or more have been observed in oceanic
operations. Waypoint insertion errors of half degree produce a small difference in leg segment
track and distance, however, as noted above, waypoint insertion errors are not limited to half
degree.
6. PILOT ACTION WHEN NOTIFIED BY ATC OF POSSIBLE DEVIATION FROM
CLEARED TRACK:
6.1 Flight crews are advised that, should they be notified that ATC systems indicate the aircraft is not
flying the cleared route, they should immediately display the full degrees and minutes loaded into the
FMC for the NEXT and NEXT + 1 waypoints, and verify against the cleared route before responding.
Voice message example:
“SHANWICK CONFIRMS YOUR POSITION REPORT INDICATES INCORRECT ROUTING.
CHECK FULL DEGREES AND MINUTES LOADED INTO FMC. YOUR CLEARED ROUTE IS
[route]”
CPDLC message example:
“YOUR POSITION REPORT INDICATES INCORRECT ROUTING. CHECK FULL DEGREES
AND MINUTES LOADED INTO FMC. YOUR CLEARED ROUTE IS [route].”
6.2 When ATC notifies the pilot that the aircraft has indicated it has already deviated from the cleared
track (UM169f: ADS-C INDICATES OFF ROUTE. ADVISE INTENTIONS), the pilot shall
immediately display the full DEGREES and MINUTES loaded into the FMC for the NEXT waypoint,
and verify against the cleared route.
Explanation
a) Due to the factors in the map and FMC display of half degree and whole degree waypoints, it is
imperative that pilots follow the procedure in this document to avoid lateral errors caused by
incorrect insertion of waypoints. Verification of the full DEGREES and MINUTES of oceanic
waypoints loaded into the FMC, when notified by ATC of possible deviation from cleared track, is
a critical step in ensuring a proper navigational load.
7. WEBSITES
7.1 The ICAO EUR/NAT Office Website is at: www.icao.int/eurnat. Click on EUR & NAT Documents
>> NAT Documents to obtain NAT Operations Bulletins and related project planning documents.
8. CONTACTS
8.1 The following may be contacted for information or to provide feedback: [email protected]
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ATTACHMENT A – SUMMARY OF SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS
CONTAINED IN THIS NAT OPS BULLETIN
1. Aircraft Navigation Database (NDB) Waypoint Identifiers:
Canadian AIC 23/15, UK AIC 059/2015 and AIP Iceland ENR 1.3.1.2 strongly advocate that aircraft NDB
vendors and flight planning services not provide operators with half-degree waypoint identifiers in the ARINC
424, paragraph 7.2.5 “N-prefix” format (e.g., N5250 = 52o30’ NORTH 050o00’WEST).
NAT operators should use a full latitude/longitude (e.g., 13-character) input for waypoint coordinates. NAT
operators with an operational need to populate the aircraft NDB with a 5-character waypoint identifier
should ensure that the aircraft NDB vendors and flight planning services use an alternate half-degree of latitude
5-character format e.g., H5250 = 52o30’ NORTH 050o00’ WEST (paragraph 3 refers)
2. Pilot Training on Map and FMC Displays of half Degree and Whole Degree Waypoints:
Operator initial and re-current training programs and operations manuals must have incorporated training and
guidance to enable pilots to understand map and FMC displays of half degree and whole degree waypoints
(paragraph 2 and Attachment B Figure 1 and Figure 2 refer).
3. Pilot Procedures for Verifying Waypoint Degrees and Minutes Inserted into Aircraft Navigation
Systems:
Pilot Pre-flight and In-flight procedures must call for each pilot to independently display and verify the
DEGREES and MINUTES loaded into the Flight Management Computer (FMC) for the “un-named (Lat/Long)
waypoints defining the cleared route of oceanic flight. This procedure is necessary regardless of the FMC
waypoint input format being used. Procedures must call for both pilots to independently verify the waypoint
coordinates inserted and concur on their accuracy prior to route activation.
4. Pilot Track and Distance Check:
It is strongly recommended that pilot pre-flight and in-flight procedures call for the pilot to compare the track
and distance between waypoints shown on the Computer Flight Plan (CFP) to those displayed by the FMC.
Pilots should be aware that waypoint insertion errors of half degree of latitude may in some cases result in only
small differences in track and distance, however, the track and distance check can help prevent waypoint
insertion errors of one degree or more that have been observed in oceanic operations.
Note: the currency of magnetic variation tables loaded into aircraft navigation databases and the point at which
the track is measured affect the track displayed on the FMC by as much as +/- 3 degrees.
5. Pilot Action When Notified By ATC of Possible Deviation From Cleared Track:
When ATC notifies the pilot that ATC systems indicate that the aircraft is not flying the cleared track, the pilot
shall immediately display the full DEGREES and MINUTES loaded into the FMC for the NEXT waypoint,
and verify against the oceanic clearance.
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ATTACHMENT B – EXAMPLE FMC AND MAP DISPLAYS (PARAGRAPH 2 REFERS)
Note: Figure 1 and Figure 2 are intended to support paragraph 2 (Pilot training on Map and FMC Displays
of half and Whole Degree Waypoints). The figures emphasize that for a large number of aircraft, the
input of waypoints containing whole degrees of latitude and waypoints containing half-degrees of
latitude will result in identical 7-character FMC and waypoint map displays.
Figure 1 Example FMC Display: Full Waypoint Latitude and Longitude (13-characters) inserted into FMC
1. 52 degrees-30 minutes North latitude, 20 degrees West longitude inserted into the FMC using full latitude
and longitude degrees, minutes and seconds (i.e., 13 characters)
2. The waypoint IDENT is truncated to 7 characters with no display of minutes of latitude.
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Figure 2 Example Map Display: 13-characters Inserted into FMC (Full Waypoint Latitude and Longitude)
1. 50 degrees-30 minutes North, 20 degrees West is displayed in 7 characters (N50W020).
2. Minutes of latitude are not displayed.
3. The Map display would be the same for 50 degrees-00 minutes North, 20 degrees West.
— END —
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