Gliding Vertical Margin Guidance for Emergency Runway Reachability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots face increased mental workload and stress during emergency situations, such as total engine flameout conditions, due to the need to manually analyze various pieces of information across different displays to select a suitable diversion airport and assess runway suitability for landing, which can lead to pilot error.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that dynamically determines a gliding vertical trajectory for an aircraft to a reference point near a runway, providing a graphical indication of the vertical height margin on a primary flight display, allowing pilots to assess the viability of landing locations in real-time by calculating the difference between predicted and target altitudes, and dynamically updating as the aircraft travels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If pilots manually analyze various pieces of information across different displays to select a suitable diversion airport and assess runway suitability, then comprehensive situational awareness is achieved, but mental workload and stress increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information sources (fuel data, weather radar, NOTAMs, SIGMETs, PIREPs, and runway information) that were previously distributed across different displays into a single integrated display. This consolidation allows pilots to assess diversion airport suitability and runway viability simultaneously without mentally piecing together information from multiple separate instruments, thereby maintaining comprehensive situational awareness while significantly reducing mental workload and stress during emergency situations.
2Reliability
If pilots manually piece together information from different sources while concurrently manually flying the aircraft, then complete assessment of diversion options is achieved, but the time-sensitive nature of aircraft operation increases stress and likelihood of pilot error
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations and assessments of gliding trajectories, fuel consumption, and runway suitability metrics before the pilot needs to make a decision. By pre-computing these critical parameters and presenting them in an integrated display, the system eliminates the need for pilots to perform time-consuming manual calculations during the emergency, allowing for rapid yet informed decision-making while maintaining landing safety through accurate predictive analytics.
3Adaptability or versatility
If detailed information about multiple diversion airports and runways is presented to pilots, then informed decision-making is enabled, but information overload increases complexity and stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing detailed, customized information specifically for the selected diversion airport and its runways rather than presenting uniform detailed information for all possible airports. The integrated display dynamically adapts to show relevant metrics (fuel required, weather conditions, runway suitability) for the specific airport being evaluated, allowing pilots to conduct thorough assessments without being overwhelmed by irrelevant data from other locations, thereby reducing display complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for guiding or otherwise assisting operation of an aircraft en route to an airport. One method involves identifying a reference point in advance of a runway, dynamically determining a gliding vertical trajectory for the aircraft en route to the reference point based at least in part on a current altitude of the aircraft at a current aircraft location and gliding characteristics of the aircraft, and providing a graphical indication of a difference between a predicted altitude of the aircraft at a location corresponding to the reference point resulting from the gliding vertical trajectory and an altitude criterion associated with the reference point. The graphical indication of the difference dynamically updates as the aircraft travels.