Efficiency/Capacity: NASA: Beyond Free Flight Phase I Tools

2.8 NASA: Beyond Free Flight Phase I Tools

While FFP1 lays the foundation for addressing many of the efficiency problems of the NAS, it does not address all of the user needs that will exist in the future. Many of these needs will be generated by the growth of air traffic in the U.S. and worldwide. According to the FAA, air traffic in the U.S. will grow steadily over the next decade. Activity at towered airports in the U.S. in 1998 exceeded 65 million operations. By 2010, the FAA estimates, this number will exceed 81 million.

NASA is working hand in hand with FAA and its federally funded Research and Development Center (MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development) to address future ATM needs of the NAS, including the development of new tools for greater efficiency gains. Air traffic management research and development continues to be a critical element in the full modernization of the NAS as we move beyond FFP1. The following tools are now in development.

Collaborative Arrival Planning (CAP)
CAP is focused on improving air carrier hub operations. Today, arriving aircraft are handled on a first-come, first-served basis, without regard to air carrier business concerns. Inevitably, air carrier arrival timing miscues, caused by aircraft maintenance, airport congestion, or severe weather, lead to air carrier inefficiencies such as missed flight connections, inefficient hub operations, and aircraft diversions. Providing air carriers with improved predictive information on their arriving flights and the ability to alter arrival times to prevent timing miscues are the principal objectives of CAP. The potential annual savings: $75M.

Direct-To Tool:
Researchers at NASA have created a new automation tool for enroute air traffic controllers, called the Direct-To Tool. The tool can be used by controllers to optimize routing of departures and en route traffic, to minimize flight time and fuel consumption, and avoid conflicts. The tool has been running since January with live radar data received at NASA from the Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center. Controllers, FAA officials and airline managers, who have seen the Tool in operation at the NASA laboratory, have expressed enthusiastic interest in it.

By counting up the potential time savings of all direct-to re-routings identified by the Direct-To Tool over a period of time since the tool went on-line at the NASA laboratory in January, an estimate of its time savings potential has been obtained. Field tests at Fort Worth Center began in October 1999. If installed at all sectors in the Fort Worth Center, the tool has the potential to save in excess of 500,000 in-flight minutes per year. For comparison, these benefits could exceedÐ and are in addition toÐthe combined delay reductions provided by the CTAS tools TMA and FAST, which are currently in use at the DFW airport. A provisional patent application for this tool has been filed.

Active Final Approach Spacing Tool (aFAST)

Active FAST Concept

Active FAST is a decision support tool designed to achieve more accurate aircraft separation on final approach. As a follow-on to the previously developed and implemented Passive FAST, aFAST will provide active advisories, namely heading and speed. In addition, aFAST will generate sequencing and scheduling information. An additional 10% capacity improvement is expected from pFAST.

Surface Movement System (SMS)
Builds from SMA to achieve additional reductions in surface delays and optimize surface movement, and enhance airport situational awareness of aircraft movements.

Expedite Departure Path (EDP)
Provides speed, heading, and climb advisories providing unrestricted climb profiles, reduced near-airport fuel emissions, and increased airport capacity.

NASA POC:
Dr. Heinz Erzberger
650-604-5425
http://www.ctas.arc.nasa.gov/project_description

NASA Headquarters Responsible Official: Code R
Curator: SAIC Information Services
http://www.aerospace.nasa.gov