Extended-arrange Twin-engine Operation Performance Standards

ETOPS (of English: Extended-arranges Twin-engine Operation Performance Standards ) is a payment of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) allowing the commercial aircraft equipped with two engines to thus use air routes comprising sectors at more than one hour of an airport of help, in particular, the oceanic courses. ETOPS is sometimes translated with humor by Engines Turning Or Passengers Swimming (literally, driving which turns or passengers which swims ).

According to a theoretical certification then of the noted reliability of the apparatuses and their engines, a certificate ETOPS-90 , ETOPS-120 , ETOPS-180 is issued. This last certification allows the exploitation of a plane on 90% of the destinations the price, sometimes, of a road longer than with a four-engined plane.

This certification allows the twin-jet aircrafts, primarily the Airbus A300, A320 and A330 as well as Boeing B757, B767, B777 to make flights long-distance carrier above uninhabited zones (ocean, desert, poles) to more than 60 minutes of an airport of diversion (in the event of distress).

This certification could be replaced soon ETOPS by a baptized news LROPS , for L ong R angel O perational P erformance S tandards , which takes into account all the types of planes and either only the twin-engines.

History

Piston engines

The first transatlantic flight date of 1919 (Alcock and Brown, 2 pilots of RAF on a twin-engine Vickers Vimy) united Newfoundland with the Connemara (Western of the Ireland). Such flights with piston twin-engines were very risky within sight of the low reliability of these engines. FAA introduced the 60 minutes rule in 1953 for the twin-engines. Those were to thus trace a road remaining permanently with less than 60 minutes of an airport, which excluded them from a certain number of roads and lengthened many others.

Engines

The turbojets quickly showed as of the end of the year 1950 a much better reliability and reserve of power that the piston engines. Thus the tri-jet Boeing 727 presenting a good history could be freed from the 60 minutes rule and serve direct transatlantic roads, opening the way with the large tri-jets Lockheed L-1011 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

Only the twin-engines remained dependant on the 60 minutes rule. Apart from the United States, the companies followed the rules of the ICAO which had chosen a limit at 90 minutes.

Airbus launched its large twin-jet aircraft Airbus A300, using the new dual flow jet engines in 1974, with commercial performances equivalent to the DC10 and Tristar but a reduced size and a mass.

Best profitability allowed the success of the first Airbus and these new engines were shown at least as reliable as their predecessors with simple flow like the JT8D. Boeing retorted with B757 and B767, but Airbus had made a first breakthrough!

First experiments ETOPS

The ICAO and the FAA noted that the new models of planes twin-jet aircrafts designed for the flights of long life could ensure of the transoceanic roads and wrote rules ETOPS for one duration of 120 minutes diversion, allowing the direct transatlantic flights. Today, the majority of the transatlantic flights are carried out with twin-jet aircrafts. First authorization ETOPS-90 delivered by the FAA was obtained by TWA to operate Saint Louis - Frankfurt with B767. It will be extended to 120 minutes later.

The speed of reference for rules ETOPS remains that of B767 is 389 nodes (720 km/h).

Current rules

Extensions of rules ETOPS

The FAA then JAA (Joined Authorities Aviation gathering the European aeronautical authorities) approved rules ETOPS-180 subject to technical criteria and of the results of at least a year of exploitation in ETOPS-120. This qualification was decreed as from 1989, the A300-600, A310, A320, A330, B757, B767 and some B737 and made it possible to join more than 95% of the inhabited grounds. The success of flights ETOPS broke the career of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and slows down that of the B747.

Some recent adjustments opened roads ETOPS-138 allowing the operations on the North Atlantic even when the airports of Iceland and the Greenland are closed due to bad weather and ETOPS 207 on the Northern Pacifique (in the event of closing of the airports of the Aleutian Islands), mainly under the pressure of Boeing to ensure the success of its B777 on the Pacific. The JAA did not approve this extension.

Exclusion ETOPS

Some connections remain prohibited with the twin-engines in the Pacifique Southern and the Indian Ocean like Perth - Johannesburg, and Auckland - Buenos Aires.

Obtaining approval ETOPS

Approval ETOPS is a process in two stages

Approval of the type

The plane and each type of engines under consideration for operations ETOPS must integrate basic requirements ETOPS in their process of certification of the type. The scenarios of test include/understand oceanic overflights with an engine turned off throughout diversion considered (for example 3 hours for ETOPS-180).

These tests must validate, in addition to the capacity of the apparatus to carry out this way, that the crew can reasonably manage the overload of necessary work. They must also show the quasi null probability of a simultaneous extinction of the second engine.

Approval of the operator

In complement of the approval of the apparatus each operator (airline company) who wants to operate flights ETOPS must answer the payments of the civil aviation of his respective country. This operational approval requires the installation of procedures for the teams of maintenance and flying personnel in complement of the basic procedures for which technicians and pilots must be formed and qualified. This second approval can be fast for companies considered by their capacity to operate such flights. The less recognized companies must accomplish flights of validation before obtaining the authorization.

The course of flights ETOPS is followed permanently by the authorities of the civil aviation which record all the incidents which could be prejudicial with this capacity.

List certified planes ETOPS

(to be supplemented)

ETOPS 120

ETOPS 180

  • Family Family Airbus A320: A318, A319, A320, A321, A320-ACJ
  • Airbus have 300-600R, A310 and A330 all types
  • Boeing 737 -600,-700,-800 and -900,
  • Boeing 757-200, 767 all types and 777
  • Bombardier Global 5000

External bonds

Canadian regulation on line.

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