PANS-OPS
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PANS-OPS (Procedures for Air Navigation Services - Aircraft Operations) is an ATC term denominating rules for designing instrument approach and departure [[1]]. Such procedures are used to allow aircraft to land and take off under Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), i.e. "blind" or IFR.
[edit] ICAO Rules
The ICAO document 8168-OPS/611 (volumes 1 and 2) outlines the principles for airspace protection and procedure design which all ICAO signatory states must adhere to. The regulatory material surrounding PANS-OPS may vary from country to country.
=== For Example: In Australia
The sort of PANS-OPS procedures commonly encountered in Australia are: NDB approaches, VOR approaches (both may have a DME altitude scale) ILS, and now RNAV-GNSS.
[edit] Handling of Obstacles
Similar to an Obstacle Limitation Surface, the PANS-OPS protection surfaces are imaginary surfaces in space which guarantee the aircraft a certain minimum obstacle clearance. These surfaces may be used as a tool for local governments in assessing building development. Where buildings may (under certain circumstances) be permitted to penetrate the OLS, they cannot be permitted to penetrate any PANS-OPS surface, because the purpose of these surfaces is to guarantee pilots operating under IMC an obstacle free descent path for a given approach.
