Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedure (DARP)

Previously we have described the significant benefits achieved from the use of a User Preferred Route (UPR). Today’s flight however goes one step further, and takes advantage of the six hourly update of the upper air wind and temperature forecast, to effectively re-plan the flight enroute a procedure called a DARP. This process will be completed twice on today’s flight as each forecast becomes available.

Use of Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedures commences with an aircraft datalink request for a DARP to the Air New Zealand Flight Dispatch Office in Auckland. Immediately the latest wind/temperature forecast becomes available, the Flight Despatch Officer recalculates the optimum track from a predetermined point just ahead of the current aircraft airborne position. Once calculated the revised route is uplinked to the aircraft for the crew to consider. The crew then downlink a request for the revised route to the Oceanic Control Centre and once approved, accept the revised route into the active side of the Flight Management Computer (FMC). This clearly needs to occur prior to the aircraft reaching the predetermined point used for the commencement of the revised track.

In terms of the saving that is achieved from the technology to fly a DARP it varies greatly from day to day dependant on the accuracy of the original forecast, the average AKL-SFO flight would save 70 US Gallons

To learn more about New Zealand's Oceanic Control System, click here.

 

 

DARPing mid-flight