Predictive Taxi Exit Selection for Aircraft Runway Landings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots often struggle to accurately plan taxi exits on a runway due to unpredictable aircraft speed and runway conditions, leading to harsh braking, overshooting, increased runway occupancy time, and reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
A computing system on the aircraft uses historical data to train a model that predicts feasible taxi exits and touch-down locations based on current and historical data, including aircraft performance, weather, and NOTAMs, allowing for real-time adjustments during landing and post-landing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pilots plan taxi exit in advance based on arrival gate location, then taxi exit planning is completed before landing, but the aircraft may not be able to control speed properly and may need harsh braking which impacts tires and braking system
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of feasible taxi exits and expected touch-down locations before landing using historical data and current flight parameters. This allows pilots to make informed decisions about taxi exit selection in advance while understanding the actual speed control requirements, avoiding last-minute harsh braking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses historical data from previous landings to provide feedback on actual speed control outcomes for different taxi exit scenarios. This feedback loop allows the system to refine predictions and recommendations, helping pilots select taxi exits that align with actual speed control capabilities rather than theoretical plans.
2Reliability
If aircraft overshoots planned taxi exit, then aircraft can maintain speed control, but runway occupancy time increases due to U-turn and backtracking
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates multiple feasible taxi exits in advance based on predicted touch-down location and speed profiles. By identifying suitable exits before landing, the system enables pilots to select optimal exits that prevent overshooting, thereby maintaining speed control while avoiding the time-consuming U-turn maneuver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the list of feasible taxi exits based on real-time flight parameters and predicted performance. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to provide up-to-date recommendations that account for actual speed control capabilities, ensuring selected exits are achievable without overshooting or excessive runway occupancy.
3Ease of operation
If increased runway occupancy time occurs, then aircraft can complete taxi maneuvers, but runway throughput decreases and aircraft reaches gate late
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of feasible taxi exits before landing using historical data and current flight conditions. This advance planning enables pilots to select optimal exits that minimize runway occupancy time, thereby maintaining ease of operation for taxi maneuvers while maximizing runway throughput and on-time arrival at gates.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing system on an aircraft that is configured to perform operations including receiving historical data. The operations also include training a model using the historical data to produce a trained model. The operations also include receiving current pre-landing data for a current aircraft that is to land on a runway. The operations also include determining, during a time period before landing, a feasibility of a plurality of taxi exits on the runway based at least partially upon the trained model and the current pre-landing data. The operations also include selecting one of the taxi exits based at least partially upon the feasibility.