Southwest Selects Rockwell Collins' GPS for RNP

Southwest Airlines will equip more than 200 of its B-737 "classics" with Rockwell Collins' GPS in order to gain the satellite navigation capability necessary for its planned RNP (required navigational performance) operations.

The airline chose Rockwell Collins' GPS-4000S sensor and associated WAAS (wide area augmentation system) antenna that improves the availability and integrity of GPS positioning data.

(Editor's note: RNP can add to the operational potential of RNAV (area navigation) by significantly increasing the precision of an aircraft's flight path in all flight domains, including en route, as well as approaches and departures.  This means that RNP can reduce flight distances (due to tighter lateral tolerances), and add time predictability, to any flight in any geographical area and on every operation. It also establishes a standard of precision that can serve as the rationale for closer separations between new routes in the future that could add capacity to finite areas of airspace – in the New York area, for example.)

Safety is maintained in RNP operations by onboard performance monitoring and alerting capability for the pilots, and can be monitored in the future by both air traffic controls and other nearby aircraft with ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance).  01-15-2008.

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