1 HELIOS HE licopter L ow (Altitude) I FR O peration S witzerland HERZLICH WILLKOMMEN

2 Actual Situation in Switzerland: All Medical Helicopter Operations take place under VFR conditions Reduced availability of our Service in weather conditions below VFR Minima's

3 Inversion

4 Objective of HELIOS Increase the safety of HEMS in weather conditions below VFR Minima's Increase the operability of HEMS use GPS /EGNOS as IFR Primary Navigation

5 One result of our efforts to reduce risk in VFR operations All EC 145 aircrafts and part of the crews are IFR certified Why not use this capability to increase safety and mission regularity?

6 Planned Route Network Genève Yverdon Neuchâtel Biel Basel Solothurn Aarau Fribourg Lausanne Bern Zürich Schaffhausen Winterthur Luzern Zug St. St. Gallen Wil Frauenfeld Zofingen Münsterlingen 4’000 – 6’000 ft AMSL 4’000 FL 40 4’000 FL 40 4’000 6’000 5’000 6’000 Nyon

7 Planning Process Phase 1 Feasibility Study (Mai 04) Phase 2 Implementation Preparation(2006) Phase 3 Implementation(2007) Phase 4 Post-Implementation(2008)

8 Participants: FOCA (Regulatory Authority) Skyguide (ATS Provider) Helicopter and NAV Manufacturer Swiss Airforce (Airspace User) Swiss Air Ambulance (Operator) International Co-Operation (EHAC Members)

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10 PIS Approach Minima Nyon Hospital1410 ft MSL MAWP1810 ft MSL (MDA) Distance MAWP to Hospital 0.83 NM or 1537m JAR OPS 3 NVFR Minima's: Vis. 3000m no clouds below 1000 ft AGL Proceed visually from MAWP or conduct the specific missed approach procedures (St.Prex VOR)

11 Route Lausanne - Geneva

12 PIS Approach Minima Geneva Hospital1380 ft MSL MAWP2050 ft MSL (MDA) Distance MAWP to Hospital 0.28 NM or 518 m JAR OPS 3 NVFR Minima's: Vis. 3000m no clouds below 1000 ft AGL Proceed visually from MAWP or conduct the specific missed approach procedures (GVA VOR)

13Documentation ICAO DOC 8168 /611 Procedures for Air Navigation Services / PANS OPS (Helicopter part in Progress) FAA TERPS Order B Helicopter Procedures FAA TERPS Order Helicopter GPS Non Precision Approach criteria JAA Leaflet 10 / 3 Airworthiness and Operational Approval for Precision RNAV Operation Helicopter Flight Manual EC 145 Subsection Navigation Management System (System meets RNP 1 / RNP 0.3 accuracy) RAIM predication

14 Equipment

15 EQUIPMENT USED FOR TESTS CMA 3000 Navigation Management System (standard on board our EC-145)

16 EGNOS PANS-OPS Heli NAV Rx EGNOS Airspace“G”/“E” ATC Helicopter Critical points:

17 Situation in other areas GPS-based GNSS approaches are applied in –USA –Canada –Australia / Norway For Rotorcraft and Fixed-wing aircraft Specific GNSS-procedures (NPA) are in force in Germany and France at certain sites France (DGAC) has started work on APV for Rotorcraft and Fixed- wing aircraft

18 LESSONS LEARNED GNSS approaches to hospitals are possible even in Switzerland (? EGNOS is a prerequisite, GPS stand-alone is not accepted by the Swiss authorities ?) For some sites, Point-in-Space approaches provide lower minima and permit extended operations We also have an urgent need for specific IFR procedures for helicopters (NPA and APV) (ICAO, EAS; JAA) The road to HELIOS is still long and sinuous, but …

19 The “clouds” are slowly lifting... Thank you for your attention