Obstacle Assessment

This course enables participants to understand technical safeguarding principles and assess obstructions against ICAO/EASA Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) for aerodromes.

Contact Training Department

Jenny Bradley
Jenny BradleyHead of Training
+49 30 45803177training@airsight.de

Safe airport operations demand a permanent monitoring of obstacles in the close proximity of airports. The construction of new infrastructure or changes to airport operations require systematic obstacle evaluations and assessments to maintain an acceptable level of safety.

International regulations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as described in Annex 14 Vol. I as well as regulations from European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as described in the CS-ADR-DSN specify airspace around aerodromes to be maintained free from obstacles. For that purpose, Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) are described, which ideally shall not be penetrated by an object. OLS infringements may be acceptable though, if an obstacle assessment or aeronautical study shows that there is no adverse impact on safety of flight operations.

The objective of this training course is to provide a comprehensive overview of aerodrome safeguarding and the assessment of obstacles in the vicinity of aerodromes. The course is designed for all persons involved in this complex subject, including aerodrome, Civil Aviation Authority personnel, or project developers.

The applicable Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) are presented and discussed in detail.

In addition, further related aspects such as the protection of visual and instrument flights (VFR, IFR), contingency operations, visual and non-visual aids for air navigation (CNS – communication, navigation and surveillance facilities) as well as further obstacle requirements are presented.

An introduction of instrument flight procedures and their obstacle protection areas is provided (according to ICAO Document 8168 "PANS-OPS"), incl. departure and approach procedures as well as specifics of the Visual Segment Surface (VSS) and Obstacle Clearance Surface (OCS).

Attendees will learn, notably by means of exercises, how to assess relevant Obstacle Limitation Surfaces, to evaluate the significance of penetrating obstacles and to develop appropriate safety measures where necessary.

Please note: This course can also be booked as an in-house version in German - however, the course material is only available in English.

Course Details

Location:Bergamo
Language:English
Date:15.01. - 19.01.2024
Duration:5 days

Course Fee

The course fee includes the registration, training material and examination. For non-virtual courses, coffee breaks and business lunch are also included.

excl. VAT
3.125,00 EUR
incl. VAT
3.718,75 EUR

The applicable VAT depends on the place of residence of the recipient of the service. 19% is the German VAT and added to the course fee by default. You can find more information on our About Taxes Page. Please note: The final price will be shown on your invoice.

Course Content

Regulations and fundamentals

  • International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
  • Categories of aircraft, aerodromes, runways and flight procedures

ICAO obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS)

  • Horizontal and Conical surfaces
  • Approach surface
  • Transitional surface
  • Take-off climb surface
  • Obstacle Free Zone (OFZ)

Aerodrome Areas

  • Runway strip
  • Runway End Safety Area (RESA)
  • Clearway

Further obstacle protection requirements

  • Visual slope indicator systems (e.g. PAPI, ALS)
  • Flights according to visual flight rules (VFR)
  • Contingency operations (1 engine inoperative)
  • Shielding principles

Introduction to instrument flight procedure design (ICAO Document 8168 „PANS-OPS“)

  • Departure procedures, incl. obstacle identification surface (OIS), minimum obstacle clearance (MOC) and procedure design gradient (PDG)
  • Approach procedures incl. non-precision approaches (NPA), approach procedures with vertical guidance (APV) and precision approaches (PA)
  • ILS obstacle assessment surfaces (OAS) and collision risk model (CRM)
  • Visual segment surface (VSS) and Obstacle Clearance Surface (OCS)

Protection of communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) facilities

  • ICAO EUR Document 015 (European Guidance Material on Managing Building Restricted Areas)
  • ILS critical and sensitive areas

Aeronautical studies / safety assessments

  • Assessment of infringements of obstacle protection / limitation surfaces

Trainer

Sierk Törl, Dipl.-Ing.

Sierk is a team member of airsight’s “Aerodrome Safeguarding and Flight Procedures” division. At airsight, Sierk gained extensive project knowledge with regards to obstacle assessments and CNS safeguarding studies at airports. Through international projects, e.g. for the airports of Accra, Dubai, Malta, Nice and Montego Bay as well as for various wind energy and project planning companies, he acquired a wide range of experience.

Prior to joining airsight, Sierk worked for a German airline as a flight operations engineer with a special focus on aircraft performance as well as aircraft weight and balance. Furthermore, he supported the airline’s flight crew training department and conducted pilot trainings as part of the pilot’s type rating.

Target Group

  • Aerodrome safety experts
  • Aerodrome operations managers
  • Aerodrome engineers and planners
  • Air traffic control staff
  • Aviation safety experts
  • Architects and civil engineers
  • Civil Aviation Authorities staff

Course Location

This course will be held at the premises of our hosting partner who will provide the classroom and the necessary training equipment. Participants are responsible for organising their own travel. Accommodation and travel costs are responsibility of the participants. Please note that neither airsight nor the hosting partner make any travel or hotel bookings for participants. Directions to the meeting venue will be provided prior to the course.

Organisational Details

The course hours are scheduled as follows:

first training day:  10:00 am - 5:00 pm
mid-training days:  9:00 am - 5:00 pm
last training day:    8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Coffee breaks and business lunch are included in the course fee. At the end of the course, all participants will receive an airsight certificate based on EASA training regulations, which is highly recognized throughout the aviation industry.

About airsight Training

airsight Training course quality

airsight operates an ISO 9001 certified Quality Management System and pursues the objective to provide high quality services that fully meet the clients’ needs.

Show more

Course Details

Location:In-house
Language:English / German / Italian
Duration:5 days

Course Content

Regulations and fundamentals

  • International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
  • Categories of aircraft, aerodromes, runways and flight procedures

ICAO obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS)

  • Horizontal and Conical surfaces
  • Approach surface
  • Transitional surface
  • Take-off climb surface
  • Obstacle Free Zone (OFZ)

Aerodrome Areas

  • Runway strip
  • Runway End Safety Area (RESA)
  • Clearway

Further obstacle protection requirements

  • Visual slope indicator systems (e.g. PAPI, ALS)
  • Flights according to visual flight rules (VFR)
  • Contingency operations (1 engine inoperative)
  • Shielding principles

Introduction to instrument flight procedure design (ICAO Document 8168 „PANS-OPS“)

  • Departure procedures, incl. obstacle identification surface (OIS), minimum obstacle clearance (MOC) and procedure design gradient (PDG)
  • Approach procedures incl. non-precision approaches (NPA), approach procedures with vertical guidance (APV) and precision approaches (PA)
  • ILS obstacle assessment surfaces (OAS) and collision risk model (CRM)
  • Visual segment surface (VSS) and Obstacle Clearance Surface (OCS)

Protection of communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) facilities

  • ICAO EUR Document 015 (European Guidance Material on Managing Building Restricted Areas)
  • ILS critical and sensitive areas

Aeronautical studies / safety assessments

  • Assessment of infringements of obstacle protection / limitation surfaces

Trainer

Malte Karger, Dipl.-Ing.

Malte is responsible for flight procedure design and obstacle assessments of airsight’s consulting division. He is also a renowned and appreciated trainer, sharing his knowledge and practical experience with other industry experts in airsight’s scheduled as well as customised in-house training courses in countries such as Germany, Greece, Switzerland and Turkey.

As an advisor of ICAO’s Instrument Flight Procedure Panel (IFPP) in the capacity of a field expert, Malte participates in the Obstacle Limitation Surfaces Task Force (OLSTF).

Malte acquired extensive experience on international projects dealing with obstacle assessments and aeronautical studies for clients such as Berlin, Dubai, Hamburg, Luxembourg, Malta, Nuremburg, Stuttgart and Warsaw Airports as well as for several smaller airfields. Furthermore, he conducted numerous flight procedure design projects (conventional and RNAV/PBN)  for Airports, for Airlines (e.g. Air Austral, Air Transat) as well as for Air Navigation Service Providers such as MATS (Malta Air Traffic Services) and Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration (ROMATSA). 

Sierk Törl, Dipl.-Ing.

Sierk is a team member of airsight’s “Aerodrome Safeguarding and Flight Procedures” division. At airsight, Sierk gained extensive project knowledge with regards to obstacle assessments and CNS safeguarding studies at airports. Through international projects, e.g. for the airports of Accra, Dubai, Malta, Nice and Montego Bay as well as for various wind energy and project planning companies, he acquired a wide range of experience.

Prior to joining airsight, Sierk worked for a German airline as a flight operations engineer with a special focus on aircraft performance as well as aircraft weight and balance. Furthermore, he supported the airline’s flight crew training department and conducted pilot trainings as part of the pilot’s type rating.

Target Group

  • Aerodrome safety experts
  • Aerodrome operations managers
  • Aerodrome engineers and planners
  • Air traffic control staff
  • Aviation safety experts
  • Architects and civil engineers
  • Civil Aviation Authorities staff

Organisational Details

airsight offers this training course on request, worldwide. At the end of the course, all participants will receive an airsight certificate based on EASA training regulations, which is highly recognized throughout the aviation industry.

About airsight Training

airsight Training course quality

airsight operates an ISO 9001 certified Quality Management System and pursues the objective to provide high quality services that fully meet the clients’ needs.

Show more