Aircraft Arrival Management Using Backward Trajectory Turn Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air traffic controllers lack precise tools for determining when to instruct aircraft to turn toward a merge point, leading to inefficient and unsafe spacing between incoming aircraft, causing wasted time, fuel, and increased workload.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Backward Trajectory Management (BTM) system that calculates optimal turn points for trailing aircraft based on real-time data from various sources, including weather, aircraft performance, and air traffic sequencing, to ensure safe and efficient spacing using altered flight paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If controllers instruct aircraft to turn onto arcs before merging to ensure safe separation, then safety is improved, but excess spacing between aircraft increases causing wasted time and fuel
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation of optimal turn points and arc distances before aircraft reach the merge point. By pre-determining the exact point where aircraft should turn onto arcs and the distance to travel, the system enables aircraft to achieve precise separation without excessive spacing, resolving the contradiction between safety and time efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors aircraft positions, speeds, and trajectories, and provides real-time feedback to adjust turn instructions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to optimize separation dynamically, ensuring safety while minimizing unnecessary spacing and associated time losses.
2Reliability
If controllers increase spacing between aircraft to ensure safe separation, then safety is improved, but controller workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated calculations of optimal turn points, arc distances, and separation requirements without requiring manual intervention from controllers. The system serves itself by automatically generating and updating separation instructions based on real-time aircraft data, thereby ensuring safety while eliminating the increased workload that would result from manual calculation and monitoring.
3Reliability
If controllers use intuitive path stretching techniques to achieve separation, then safety is improved, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes separation by precisely calculating the minimum necessary arc distance and turn point parameters, rather than using fixed or conservative spacing. By dynamically adjusting these parameters based on aircraft performance, weather, and traffic conditions, the system maintains safety while minimizing the additional distance aircraft must travel, thereby reducing fuel consumption associated with path stretching.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for aircraft arrival management are disclosed. The system is configured to control a timing of landing between a leading and a trailing aircraft by calculating backward trajectories for each of the aircraft from a common touchdown point on a runway. The system is further configured to compute a delta distance, based on a separation threshold distance, corresponding to a travel distance for the trailing aircraft along an arc centered around a merge point, before turning towards a merge point.