Aircraft Flight Plan Monitoring for ATC Route Change Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Flight planners and crews face uncertainty and inefficiency due to last-minute modifications to flight plans by air traffic control, leading to unnecessary fuel loading and operational challenges.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using a monitoring control unit to compare initial and assessed flight plans, automatically notifying flight planners of differences and suggesting alternate plans, with robots adjusting aircraft aspects as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If air traffic control modifies flight plans after filing, then air traffic management flexibility is improved, but flight planner awareness and preparation time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automatic feedback by monitoring assessed flight plans from air traffic control and comparing them against initial filed flight plans. When modifications are detected, the system automatically notifies the flight planner, ensuring they are informed of changes without requiring manual checking or creating administrative burden while maintaining their awareness of route changes
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary comparison and notification actions before the aircraft departs. By automatically detecting flight plan modifications and alerting the flight planner in advance, the system allows sufficient time for reassessment of fuel, flight time, and other flight aspects without requiring last-minute changes
2Measurement precision
If flight planners manually monitor flight plan changes, then accuracy of flight planning is improved, but time efficiency and workload deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically monitoring assessed flight plans, comparing them with initial plans, and generating notifications without human intervention. This eliminates the need for flight planners to manually check for modifications while ensuring accurate detection of all changes, thereby maintaining precision while freeing up planning time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual monitoring process with an automated electronic system. The monitoring control unit automatically retrieves, compares, and analyzes flight plan data, substituting human manual checking with automated computational processes that are both more accurate and time-efficient
3Reliability
If flight crews add unnecessary fuel due to route uncertainty, then flight safety is improved, but fuel efficiency and operational cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary notification of route changes before departure, allowing flight crews to make informed fuel calculations based on the actual assigned route rather than preparing for multiple potential scenarios. This enables optimal fuel loading that ensures safety while avoiding unnecessary fuel carriage
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic feedback mechanism provides flight crews with timely information about the final assigned route, enabling them to adjust fuel plans accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that fuel loading decisions are based on accurate, up-to-date route information, balancing safety requirements with fuel efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method include a monitoring control unit configured to compare an initial flight plan, as generated by a flight planner for an aircraft, and an assessed flight plan, as determined by air traffic control. The monitoring control unit is further configured to determine one or more alternate initial flight plans that differ from the initial flight plan in response to determining one or more differences between the initial flight plan and the assessed flight plan.