Aircraft Turn-Back Altitude Display Under Engine-Out Conditions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flight crews face challenges in determining and displaying the minimum maneuverable altitude for an aircraft to safely return to the takeoff runway during emergency engine out conditions, requiring consideration of numerous parameters and airframe-specific characteristics, which can lead to inaccurate assessments and undesirable outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that automatically processes aircraft characteristic, flight trajectory, and environmental data to determine the minimum maneuverable altitude, displaying it on a graphical display, including a pseudo gate for terrain clearance, without requiring the crew to account for individual parameters or airframe characteristics, using equations such as dh/dΨ to calculate the rate of change of altitude with respect to heading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the flight crew manually determines the minimum maneuverable altitude by accounting for numerous parameters and airframe characteristics, then the determination process becomes complex and time-consuming, but the accuracy and reliability of the determination deteriorates due to human error and information overload
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically calculating the minimum maneuverable altitude using onboard sensors and flight data. The aircraft's own systems (sensors, flight management computer) generate and process the necessary information without external assistance, allowing the crew to receive ready-to-use guidance without manual computation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/cognitive process of manual calculation with an automated electronic system. Flight management computers and sensors substitute for human crew members in performing the complex mathematical calculations required to determine minimum maneuverable altitude, transforming a manual intellectual task into an automated computational process
2Loss of time
If the flight crew quickly processes significant amounts of information during emergency return, then the response time is reduced, but the reliability of the determination deteriorates due to cognitive overload and pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and continuously updating the minimum maneuverable altitude based on current flight conditions before an emergency occurs. During an emergency, this pre-computed information is immediately available to the crew, eliminating the need for rapid manual calculation under stress while maintaining high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring flight parameters (altitude, speed, heading, engine performance) and automatically adjusting the minimum maneuverable altitude calculation in real-time. This closed-loop feedback ensures the crew receives up-to-date, reliable information without needing to process multiple parameters manually during the emergency
3Ease of operation
If the system automatically determines the minimum maneuverable altitude using processed flight data, then the ease of operation improves for the flight crew, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by integrating multiple functions into existing aircraft systems. The flight management computer that already handles navigation and flight planning is extended to also calculate minimum maneuverable altitude, while existing sensors (altimeters, airspeed indicators, heading systems) serve dual purposes for both normal flight operations and emergency return guidance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies merging by combining the minimum maneuverable altitude determination function with existing flight management systems. Rather than adding a completely separate system, the calculation algorithms are integrated into the aircraft's existing flight management computer, which already processes relevant flight data for other purposes
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for determining and displaying a minimum maneuverable altitude for an aircraft to turn back includes automatically processing aircraft characteristic data, aircraft flight trajectory data, and environmental/airport services data, in a processing system, to determine a rate of change of aircraft maneuverable altitude with respect to change in aircraft heading. At least the determined rate of change of aircraft altitude with respect to change in aircraft heading is processed, in the processing system, to determine the minimum maneuverable altitude at least engine out conditions. Terrain data is processed, in the processing system, to determine a terrain clearance height above which the minimum maneuverable altitude may be implemented. The minimum maneuverable altitude is rendered, on a display device, on the altitude tape, and a pseudo gate is rendered on the display device that represents a height above the terrain that corresponds to the minimum maneuverable altitude.