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Most unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are, at present, designed for military purposes and very few civil applications have been developed mainly because the lack of a regulation basis concerning their certification, airworthiness and operations. UAS operations have always been solutions highly dependent on the mission to be accomplished and on the scenario of flight. The generalized development of UAS applications is still limited by the absence of systems that support the development of the actual operations. Most current UAS solutions, if not remotely piloted, rely on waypoint based flight control system for their navigation and are unable to coordinate the aircraft flight with payload and mission operation. In this paper, an architecture for providing automation in UAS application is presented. This architecture is part of a UAS-specific distributed service-oriented architecture designed to enable easy reconfiguration and deployment of UAS in a wide range of scenarios without (or very little) additional system development. Flight, payload and mission service coordination, service interfaces and message interactions between services are discussed in this paper. Finally, a preliminary prototype of these services has been implemented to validate the purpose architecture specification. Additionally, a helicopter-based UAS is being developed to test in real scenarios the automation capabilities provided by the USAL architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the concept of complexity science was introduced into the field of air traffic management (ATM), a large number of scholars have conducted related complexity research. However, the researchers have long been anxious to define the complexity which is still vague and difficult to unify. But there is a lack of systematic research on the complex traffic formation mechanism in the field of ATM. If typical traffic phenomena could be comprehensively analyzed and the formation cause of complex situation of the air traffic could be clarified, then the study on the complexity in the field of ATM will gain great benefit. Therefore, models are built by choosing three traffic phenomena such as queuing, flight conflict avoidance and asymmetric situation information distribution. Then the paper analyzes the mechanism of the formation of complex traffic situation, mines the impact factor of the complex traffic situation, aiming at the common law of forming a complex traffic situation so as to further study the complexity of the air traffic management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a framework for transitioning Air Traffic Management (ATM) functions to cloud computing, for cost savings, and gains in performance and efficiency. With the established framework, initial analysis was carried out for NAS automation systems. The analysis revealed that it is technically feasible to transition most of the ATM functions to the cloud computing environment, with benefits significant to both the system owner and NAS end users. A study of recent development in the field also revealed that, while challenges exist, with the proper alignment of technical and investment decisions, transitioning of ATM functions to the cloud computing environment can be achieved much faster, and that it is already happening. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The differences in performance of various manufacturers' Flight Management Systems (FMSs) and their associated Flight Management Computers (FMCs) have the potential for significant impact on the air traffic control system and as such need to be examined and reexamined. While Performance-Based Navigation (PBN), Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures and routes are designed according to criteria contained in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) orders, FMC manufacturers build their systems in accordance with Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards (MASPS) and Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for area navigation systems, Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) and Advisory Circulars (ACs). With the exception of some minor differences, it has been shown in previous research on this subject that the resulting performance of the aircraft FMC will generally meet the procedure design requirements identified in the FAA criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Voice communication is a pillar of air traffic management throughout all phases of flight - but nowhere is it as important as during surface operations. Finding space on the frequency to communicate can often times be challenge, especially when operations become irregular during weather events or peak push-times. Ground frequencies can become saturated with controllers providing taxi and clearance instructions to pilots and vehicles. To alleviate saturation, ANSPs have turned to more efficient ways to communicate route and clearance information to aircraft. Many airports around the world are using data link as a means to provide route and clearance instructions to the cockpit without using voice communications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Existing FAA regulations, policy and guidance do not specifically address cyber security requirements for aircraft networks and systems. This could result in security related certification criteria that are not standardized and harmonized between domestic and international regulatory agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) is the on-going European research program aiming at designing and validating a reformation of the Air Traffic Management system. In order to maximize the benefits of Single European Sky it is very important that the innovation involves the largest amount of the Airspace users. For this reason SESAR research program involves also military airspace users. Dedicated Work Packages are working in order to investigate and solve the civil-military interoperability problem. The need for interoperability is due to the potentially different avionic architectures and functionalities which often concern civil (e.g. Main-line and Regional categories) and military aircraft (e.g. Transport-type and Fighter-type). The WP's are working together so that in the future military avionics could be able to implement selected functionalities (i.e. Initial 4D and ASPA S&M) defined in the Single European Sky context. The aim of the paper is to present results of the work performed for solving the civil-military interoperability problem. SESAR context is described as far as Initial 4D and ASPA S&M functionalities are concerned. A reference airspace use of military aircraft is presented and related Communication, Navigation and Surveillance requirements are highlighted. The approach and the proposed solution to the interoperability problem are then presented. The assumption at the base of the work is that the best solution to the interoperability problem is not a retrofit solution but a solution based on the upgrade of existing avionic equipments. The reason is that an upgrade solution could be more attractive in terms of costs for military end users. The aim of the paper is to present results of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Closely Spaced Parallel Runways (CSPRs) with centerlines separated by 700 to 2500 feet (ft) are used for simultaneous arrivals when visual separation can be provided by flight crews. Such operations typically provide arrival rates of roughly 60 aircraft per hour. When visual approaches cannot be conducted significant reductions in capacity and increased delays occur. An initial Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) based Paired Approach (PA) procedure has been conceptualized to reclaim up to 90% of this lost capacity potentially down to Category I (CAT I) approach minima. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Next generation flight management systems require the compliance of temporal and spatial constraints on navigation performance. The problem of generating fuel-efficient trajectories for aircrafts that comply with the required navigation performance is approached from an optimal control framework. By deriving the necessary conditions for optimality, nominal optimal control signals can be generated in a computationally efficient manner. These control signals can be used to generate nominal trajectories for an aircraft model. Using the nominal control and nominal trajectory, a feedforward-feedback control scheme can be implemented to robustify the system's response in the presence of uncertainty and disturbances to still achieve the required navigation performance. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through simulation and Monte Carlo runs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the increasing of the traffic of the civil aircrafts, the broadband aeronautical communications are required. Different from the narrow-band system, the broadband system for Air-to-Ground (A/G) communications bases on the broadband non-continuous spectrum located in VHF and L band, which are traditionally occupied by radar systems, such as Distant Measurement Equipment (DME) etc. Therefore, it is naturally to try to manage the broadband A/G communications link with the capability for navigation, which can gradually replace the DME and cover its function. In this paper, with the broadband A/G link in spectrum holes, namely Multi-Input and Multi-Output Non-Continuous Interferometry Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (MIMO-NCI-OFDM) system, the efficient navigation scheme is proposed with TDOA algorithms. Moreover, the specific Kalman filtering algorithm is employed for improving the accuracy. The simulation for the performance on Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) confirm the validity and efficiency of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Thinking that the future aircraft tends to be as a flying robot where a flight plan is the main goal to achieve. The aircraft navigation requires many operations to be performed by several and different aircraft equipment. In this paper, the navigation process has been organized as Intelligent reference model, it is functionally distributed through nodes of a multi levels hierarchy, the root node of the hierarchy determines the flight plane and sends the corresponding required flight states to the nodes in the next level which receive the required states and perform further processing producing corresponding sub goals to the next level and so on until the leave nodes represents the actuators and sensors. The sensing parameters are read at the leave nodes and sent after processing or directly to the higher levels as required. Separate real time communication networks are used in the hierarchy, each network connect one node in a level with the nodes in the next level which have functional relation to that node. Simulation of the hierarchical nodes is implemented using multi computers system to verify the function of each node and the required data messages between them. The real time constrains in the real time communication networks and the haul system are evaluated for worthy navigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigated the relative acceptance of different avionics implementations that present Flightdeck Interval Management (FIM) speeds and speed deviations to commercial pilots, and for indications of conditions that require action. Results indicate a clear preference for an Avionics condition where target speed information was provided in the primary flight display, relevant traffic information was provided in the navigational display, IM clearance information and conformance information was provided in the Multi-function Control Display Unit (MCDU), and the engine-indicating and crew-alerting system (EICAS) display showed conformance deviation alerts; and a condition in which all this information was presented only in an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)-like display (with extended functionality) implemented under the side window for both pilots. Other Avionics conditions tested were less desirable. These were conditions in which the EFB was mounted aft of, and below the side window - with and without an auxiliary display that repeated speed target and conformance information in the primary field of view. Results also indicate a preference for aural indications to direct attention to new speed targets, as a reminder to enter these when not done in a timely manner, and to convey when the aircraft has deviated significantly from the calculated FIM speed profile. The aural indications, thresholds for reminders and conformance indications used in this study were found to be appropriate. In general FIM, as implemented in this study, was perceived as having no deleterious effect on workload or crew coordination; and, under some conditions, was reported to have improved situation awareness of arrival speeds and general conditions during approach and descent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

NASA has developed the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSS) system, a suite of advanced arrival management technologies combining time-based scheduling and controller precision spacing tools. TSS is a ground-based controller automation tool that facilitates sequencing and merging arrivals that have both current standard ATC routes and terminal Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) routes, especially during highly congested demand periods. In collaboration with the FAA and MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), TSS system performance was evaluated in human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations with currently active controllers as participants. Traffic scenarios had mixed Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) equipage, where the more advanced RNP-equipped aircraft had preferential treatment with a shorter approach option. Simulation results indicate the TSS system achieved benefits by enabling PBN, while maintaining high throughput rates-10% above baseline demand levels. Flight path predictability improved, where path deviation was reduced by 2 NM on average and variance in the downwind leg length was 75% less. Arrivals flew more fuel-efficient descents for longer, spending an average of 39 seconds less in step-down level altitude segments. Self-reported controller workload was reduced, with statistically significant differences at the p<0.01 level. The RNP-equipped arrivals were also able to more frequently capitalize on the benefits of being “Best-Equipped, Best-Served” (BEBS), where less vectoring was needed and nearly all RNP approaches were conducted without interruption. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2012, NASA and FAA jointly conducted a human-in-the-loop air traffic simulation to evaluate the utility of the Terminal Area Precision Scheduling and Spacing (TAPSS) system for supporting Performance-Based Navigation arrival operations during periods of congestion at a mid-sized airport. The TAPSS system is a trajectory-based strategic planning and tactical control tool that was developed to efficiently manage arrivals. For this study, the TAPSS system was enhanced to handle Required Navigation Performance arrivals. A baseline case, where none of the TAPSS system's advisories were provided, was run along with two different configurations of the TAPSS system with differing sets of controller advisory tools. The engineering data indicate that the TAPSS system has a potential to enable efficient Performance-Based Navigation arrival operations. The participating controllers found the TAPSS system's advisories useful. When controllers were given the full set of TAPSS advisory tools, 90% of Required Navigation Performance arrivals stayed on-path as compared to 87% in the baseline case, the average extra track distance of Area Navigation arrivals decreased by 36%, and the average number of controller voice communications decreased by 13%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In-Trail Procedures (ITP) is an application of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) that allows aircraft to change flight levels in areas where current non-radar separation standards would prevent desirable altitude changes. The ITP avionics receive ADS-B Out position reports from aircraft at intermediate flight levels that could be blocking the desired climb or descent maneuver. The most recent standard for ADS-B broadcast is RTCA/DO-260B [1]. This is also known as Version 2. Equipage is mandated by 2020 in the US for the same aircraft that carry transponders. Equipage is mandated in Europe by 2015 for forward fit aircraft and by 2017 for retrofit aircraft. Standards have been developed for the ADS-B data accuracy requirements for ITP [2, 3]. The standards are straightforward to apply to aircraft equipped with transponders certified to DO-260B [1]. The standards are less straightforward to apply for aircraft equipped with transponders certified to the earlier standards of ADS-B, which are known as Version 0 or Version 1 [4, 5]. This paper shows that crosschecking ADS-B data with Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) data is an effective mitigation technique for uncertain ADS-B horizontal position accuracy and integrity for legacy Version 0 and Version 1 ADS-B transponders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an overview of the CNS / ATM (Communication, Navigation, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management) concept as introduced in the early nineties based on ICAO recommendations. Special emphasis is given to the different VHF Data Link (VDL) technologies. The VDL technologies can be used to support air traffic services, such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS), Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC), and Data Link Flight Information Services (DFIS). For reference, the paper also presents the CNS systems currently used in Colombia to provide air navigation services. This allows analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the introduction of the CNS/ATM concept. For comparison between the current system and the proposed CNS/ATM concept, it is important to take into account the special geographic and air-traffic conditions of the country. Finally, this paper reports about the first implementation of data link communications in Colombia. At El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá city the Departure Clearance (DCL) service has been introduced as first communication service based on data link. This is the first step of CNS/ATM introduction within the Air Navigation Plan of the Colombian Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aviation (UAEAC) the Colombian aviation authority. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An autonomous, adaptive navigation system, tightly coupled with the overall mission management system, can provide unmanned systems with the capability to autonomously change and execute mission plans. Legislative issues, the difficulty to meet the extremely high reliability requirements of an autonomous collision avoidance function and the associated development and certification challenges can all be reasons to limit the authority of such an adaptive system by involving/requiring a human operator at the decision making level. The role of the human operator is to make decisions during situations in which significant changes in the navigation plan are needed to accomplish the mission. Such a concept of operation imposes specific challenges that must be addressed during the design of the systems that support the operator with this supervisory task. The paper starts with addressing the commonality in the associated challenges between nautical and aeronautical platforms and between manned and unmanned systems. It will be illustrated how during the past 60 years, research in both the nautical and the aeronautical domain has addressed aspects of these challenges and how developments in the area of sensors, processors and display capabilities increased the possibilities to both increase system autonomy and keep the human operator involved with the required authority. Following this background, it will be discussed how components of a system designed to support a UAS pilot with the separation assurance task have been re-used in the realization of a prototype operator support system for an unmanned vessel, the CSHIELD platform. Results of an initial simulation-based evaluation are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an approach to derive requirements for an avionics architecture that provides onboard sense-and-avoid and autonomous emergency forced landing capabilities to a UAS. The approach is based on two design paradigms that (1) derive requirements analyzing the common functionality between these two functions to then derive requirements for sensors, computing capability, interfaces, etc. (2) consider the risk and safety mitigation associated with these functions to derive certification requirements for the system design. We propose to use the Aircraft Certification Matrix (ACM) approach to tailor the system Development Assurance Levels (DAL) and architecture requirements in accordance with acceptable risk criteria. This architecture is developed under the name “Flight Guardian”. Flight Guardian is an avionics architecture that integrates common sensory elements that are essential components of any UAS that is required to be dependable. The Flight Guardian concept is also applicable to conventionally piloted aircraft, where it will serve to reduce cockpit workload. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an idea of one approach to small aircraft safety increasing. The project was founded as reaction on numbers of small simple-engine aircraft accidents in the Czech Republic and their usual reason — human factor. Pilots and schools in the Czech Republic recently started to use glass cockpits which can be used also in other way than pure EFIS. Glass cockpit system could be extended by appropriate safety software modules. Software modules can be used in critical situations for flight analysis and giving appropriate advices to the pilot. Under this project was developed simple module navigating pilot to landing site when engine fails. Paper describes first version of EFIS with mentioned modules and also summarizes idea of designing system including testing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As the international air traffic increases and becomes more and more complex there is a growing demand for new operational procedures where noise and terrain issues are being considered increasingly. The proceeding integration of satellite navigation into aviation is paving the way for more flexible and complex approach procedures. Operationally, the Required Navigation Performance (RNP) determines the specifications an aircraft has to fulfill to perform a specific procedure. The use of a Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) could provide the required accuracy and integrity while loosening the requirements on the aircraft equipment. GBAS is certified as a system providing CAT I capabilities for a precision approach in an ILS “Look-Alike” fashion but in addition the architecture of a GBAS already contains the possibility to provide data for complex procedures, called Terminal Area Paths (TAP). Within this work, the data architecture of TAP messages was incorporated into a cockpit simulator and trials regarding flyability were conducted. For every waypoint in a TAP, a specific horizontal and vertical sensitivity value can be assigned. Therefore, different values for this sensitivity value were investigated during simulated approaches that were flown manually and automatically. Different means of displaying the deviation information were provided to the pilots. The results in terms of Flight Technical Error (FTE) for different approach paths flown automatically and manually are presented. An analysis of the different waypoint sensitivities and means of displaying deviation information is going to be carried out. Based on the observed FTE values, a first link between GBAS TAP performance and existing RNP values for the approach phase of a flight is going to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Area navigation (RNAV) and required navigation performance (RNP) are key components of performance-based navigation (PBN). Instrument procedures that use RNAV and RNP can have more flexible and precise paths than conventional routes that are defined using ground-based navigation aids. As a result, RNAV and RNP routes can enhance operational safety, efficiency, and access. At the United States Department of Transportation Volpe Center, we are identifying and documenting human factors issues associated with implementing PBN instrument procedures for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This effort supports the FAA's transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) by providing recommendations to promote easier and more reliable use of PBN instrument procedures. In this paper, we explain why human factors research is needed and provide examples of research issues. For example, new procedures may result in increased visual complexity of charts, which in turn could increase pilot workload and the potential for error. We are also conducting analyses and experiments to understand and improve the usability of aeronautical charts for PBN instrument procedures. Our work in this area is summarized in this paper. More information can be found at www.volpe.dot.gov/coi/hfrsa/ahf/ip/library.html. The website has links to our latest research products. It also supports other human factors research teams by listing and summarizing publicly available reports on related topics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Future Aircraft Surveillance Applications System (ASAS) such as conflict detection, final approach and runway occupancy, and airport surface situational awareness methods will benefit from the introduction of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). An alternative ADS-B implementation, which transmits raw measurements from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) instead of aircraft state vectors in the current implementation, was proposed in a previous paper to improve surveillance performance. Advantages of this implementation include 1) increased observability, 2) independence of datum reference, 3) the availability of an intrinsic duality indicator through the estimator's covariance matrix, 4) a guaranteed incorporation of existing correlations in the estimator, 5) optimal weighting of the measurements, and 6) the ability to perform data screening and other integrity methods. This paper summarizes the proposed methodology, discusses the initial flight test results of this alternative ADS-B implementation, and analyzes the performance of this method as a function of various system parameters such as bandwidth and update rate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, an alternative to Global Navigation System (GPS) based navigation in the terminal airspace is proposed to improve the resilience of our nation's Next-Generation air transportation system (NextGen) against man-made and natural threats to the GPS. GPS is a critical element of the future aviation infrastructure and interruptions of GPS service are known to have measurable impacts on NextGen procedures in use today. We propose that, by modifying airports' multilateration surveillance systems to broadcast new navigation signals, seamless operation during GPS outages is possible. In this new concept, synchronized MLAT transceivers broadcast pseudo-randomly staggered messages so that onboard avionics can estimate an aircraft's position from the Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) between messages received from multiple pairs of MLAT transceivers. Also, MLAT transceivers are modified to reply to TCAS interrogations or spontaneously respond to MODE-S Downlink messages allowing aircraft to measure the round-trip delay for range calculation. Using either multiple TDOAs, multiple ranges, or a combination of both from either a single airport or multiple airports, onboard avionics are able to calculate ownship position for navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At the request of The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the differences in performance of various manufacturers' Flight Management Systems (FMSs) and their associated Flight Management Computers (FMCs) have been a focus of research by these authors at The MITRE Corporation since 2004. While published Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures and routes are designed according to criteria contained in FAA orders, FMC manufacturers design their systems in accordance with Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards (MASPS) and Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for area navigation systems, Technical Standards Orders (TSOs), Advisory Circulars (AC's), and industry characteristics. Because procedure designers may not consider FMS functional characteristics, differences may occur between the intent of a procedure design in accordance with FAA orders and the actual path produced and flown by an aircraft's FMC. Exposing such differences is a derivative of MITRE's research. However, the primary purpose is to research and demonstrate variations in performance of individual FMS products. Another goal of this work is to provide supporting data for the development of instrument procedures where aircraft operations meet expectations for repeatability and predictability to levels of performance sufficient to support Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) worldwide and specifically in the National Airspace System (NAS) and the Next Generation (NextGen) environment. Sometimes, due to the nearly independent development of procedure design criteria and aircraft performance standards, the paths of various aircraft on the same procedure do not coincide and may not match the intent of the procedure designer. This paper explores those paths and complements six previous studies, the first conducted in 2006, (all presented at previous Digital Avionics System Conferences) with the basic title of Analysis of Advanced Flight Management Systems (FMSs), FMC Field Observations Trials. The previous studies have shown that the flight path differences may result from any or all of the following: variations in FMC equipment installed on the aircraft; variations and errors in procedure coding in the FMC navigation database; variations in aircraft to FMC interface and associated aircraft performance capabilities; and variations in flight crew training and procedures. The hypothesis common to all of these papers has been that the FMCs built by the major avionics manufacturers and installed as the core of the FMC/FMS combinations in various airframe platforms will perform differently and each paper has attempted to quantify those differences. This paper explores path adherence of radius-to-fix (RF) leg types (path terminators) in a Standard Instrument Departure (SID). At the time of the trial development in December 2011, the RNAV departure from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (EHAM) titled SPIJKERBOOR SPY2KZ Runway 24 Departure was the only public SID that incorporated RF leg types in the design. Subsequent to the initiation of this study, another public SID with RF legs was published in February 2012 at Hong Kong International (VHHH). As airspace becomes more complex, the use of RF legs in other than RNP Authorization Required (AR) procedures such as SID's, Standard Terminal Arrivals (STAR) and non-AR approaches will become increasingly more important as a tool to navigate obstacle rich and environmentally sensitive areas. The FAA has not approved operators to fly procedure designs with RF legs without RNP AR. However, consideration is being given to implementing an "Advanced RNP" concept which would allow RF leg types under certain restrictions. Criteria exists for RF legs in SID's and FAA AC 90–105, [1] addresses RF leg types in non-AR RNP approach procedures. Additionally, the use of RF leg types is encouraged as a key enabler of Performance-based Navigation (PBN) in the FAA [2]. This ... [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

DME/DME and Passive Wide Area Multilateration (P-WAM) are two proposed FAA's Alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) architectures that provide navigation and surveillance capability to National Air Space during a GNSS outage. Although Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and Multilateration (MLAT) system operate in a very different way, they use the same frequency band and can share the same antenna, which allows for one system integrating DME and MLAT electronics. Similarly, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) can be integrated with DME and MLAT. This DME/MLAT/ADS-B integrated system in one cabinet can be used to simultaneously provide DME and MLAT service for navigation and ADS-B for surveillance. With this dual navigation service capability of the integrated system, it is possible to develop a hybrid APNT architecture enabling both of DME/DME and P-WAM) service as a back-up of GNSS. The important advantage of the hybrid architecture is that the impacts on the avionics of General Aviation users and commercial jet airliners would be minimal by requiring only software and additional input/output connections. This paper describes the methodology and results for the feasibility study of the hybrid architecture and investigates the required ground station layout of the hybrid architecture that meets the anticipated APNT navigation and surveillance performance requirements by evaluating selected areas of the continental U.S. The required ground network will be determined through an optimization process called Coverage Analysis Method [1, 2] and be compared with the respective required ground networks for DME/DME and P-WAM based architectures to evaluate the additional number of ground stations needed in the hybrid architecture. In addition, the capacity of the DME/MLAT/ADS-B integrated systems in the hybrid architecture will be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recently, it has been proposed to extend the functionality of the future L-band Digital Aeronautical Communication System type 1 (LDACS1) to allow for navigational services. Specifically, the LDACS1 system can be modified to provide an Alternative Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) service for aeronautics during possible GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) outages. In this paper, we outline the main steps behind the measurement campaign aimed at validating and testing in realistic scenarios the LDACS1 proposal for navigation. We describe the measurement setup, synchronization of stations, and calibration of the measurement equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) leverages aircraft avionics to deliver beneficial communications, navigation, and surveillance capabilities. The avionics and enabled capabilities vary among aircraft and the resulting mixed capability environment presents challenges to air traffic control operations and, by extension, NextGen planning and implementation. The MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (MITRE/CAASD) applies a data-driven approach to understanding the mixed capability environment, both current and forecast. While all aircraft are important to the success of NextGen and understanding the mixed capability environment, this paper focuses on the fleet of aircraft operated under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 121 authorization and the specific capabilities defined in the NextGen Implementation Plan, Appendix A. This paper describes the avionics and capabilities of this fleet and discusses the expected impact of the mixed capability environment on the National Airspace System (NAS). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Advanced flight deck capabilities such as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) provide a foundation for achieving operational benefits in the National Airspace System (NAS). To support these benefits, the MITRE Corporation is studying automation for air traffic controllers that will improve situational awareness and will complement the flight deck-based integrity of the operation. Among the automation capabilities being studied, Automated Conformance Monitor (ACM) is a proposed automation enhancement that would detect if an aircraft has deviated or is predicted to deviate from its assigned route. In such cases, an alert is generated to the controller. An ACM algorithm was developed as part of previous work [1]. This report describes a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) study that was performed to assess the operational benefit of ACM for PBN approach operations. The PBN operation used is called “Required Navigation Performance (RNP)-to-Final”. In this study, a number of aircraft in each scenario were blundered laterally from their assigned route and data collected on how long it took controllers to issue a corrective action to the aircraft under different conformance monitoring support conditions. Objective and subjective data are presented as well as a discussion of the results and future work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An open question in algorithms for aircraft is what can be validated by simulation where the simulation shows that the probability of undesirable events is below some given level at some confidence level. The problem is including enough realism to be convincing while retaining enough efficiency to run the large number of trials needed for high confidence. The paper first proposes a goal based on the number of flights per year in several regions. The paper examines the probabilistic interpretation of this goal and computes the number of trials needed to establish it at an equivalent confidence level. Since any simulation is likely to consider the algorithms for only one type of event and there are several types of events, the paper examines under what conditions this separate consideration is valid. This paper is an initial effort, and as such, it considers separation maneuvers, which are elementary but include numerous aspects of aircraft behavior. The scenario includes decisions under uncertainty since the position of each aircraft is only known to the other by broadcasting where GPS believes each aircraft to be (ADS-B). Each aircraft operates under feedback control with perturbations. It is shown that a scenario three or four orders of magnitude more complex is feasible. The question of what can be validated by simulation remains open, but there is reason to be optimistic [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ATM applied research usually focuses on increasing the capacity and security. Recently, ecological and economic considerations enabled a significant number of major developments in terms of ATM: adaptation of working methods, new tools and new navigation procedures. This paper proposes an innovative approach in the construction of RNAV arrival procedures for TMA that relies no longer exclusively on controllers' ability to separate and regulate aircraft, but also on the ability of on board systems to calculate optimal paths through the use of FMS. This paper proposes a new concept of structure for the arrivals and departures that looks like the combination of several “combs”, each corresponding to one of the major flows from a geometrical perspective. The design of the structure is made in such a way that it provides a support for separating and regulating the flights. Furthermore, as the procedures are closed, the DTG (distance to go) is known for each branch of the structure, to enable the flights to fly their optimized profiles. The concept has been applied to Toulouse-Blagnac TMA for fast time simulations and the computation of environmental metrics such as noise and chemical emissions proved the concept to be promising from an economic and ecological perspective. It became obvious that, for an optimal exploitation of the structure, ATC controllers would need an assisting tool to help them in the process of affectation of the flight to the branches of the RNAV structure. This paper presents the new concept and the expected benefits through the first sets of Fast Time Simulations, it also proposes a very initial model for this assignment problem with special constraints and associated heuristic. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The initial spacing applied between departing aircraft is a major factor affecting the efficiency of departure operations at an airport. When departure operations are conducted under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), successive in-trail departures must be provided a minimum of 3 nautical miles (NM) radar separation unless visual separation is applied. However, if the departure paths diverge by 15 degrees or more immediately after takeoff, reduced initial spacing can often be applied: separation is provided by the increasing lateral distance between the aircraft rather than by a fixed in-trail distance. The smaller initial spacing when diverging departures can be conducted leads to more departures per hour. This paper explores options for application of efficiency-enhancing reduced departure spacing and presents the concept of a single separation rule, the Unified Departure Operation Spacing (UDOS) concept, where the same reduced initial spacing is generally applied whether or not the departure paths diverge. The paper reviews the currently applicable standards, describes the analysis and simulation approaches taken to assess longitudinal spacing observed in actual operations, and provides estimates of potential operational benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Q-routes are high altitude Area Navigation (RNAV) airway routes designed to provide more direct routing compared to conventional routes and allow creation of parallel routes where a single route existed before. Such direct routes improve airspace capacity and relieve congestion while reducing direct operating expenses, such as fuel costs, to the flight operator. As part of the Next Generation Air Transport System (NextGen), the Federal Aviation Administration is rapidly expanding the use of Q-routes all over the National Airspace (NAS) starting with the most congested airspaces. Though the concept of Q-routes is simple and straightforward, the actual gains in efficiency are strongly influenced by the availability and choice of approach route in the arrival transition airspace. Certain combinations of Q-routes with Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) and final approach routes could lead to suboptimal efficiency gains that reduce the overall efficiency of a flight. This paper compares the efficiency of Q-routes with several choices of approach routes, for Q-routes from the Washington SEATAC area to the San Francisco TRACON. Additionally, the paper investigates the efficiency of direct routing from Atlanta to the Fort Lauderdale area. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) will use technological updates and systems engineering methods to improve the efficiency, safety, and capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS). While some of these changes may be centered in the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) or the Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT), it is important to evaluate the operational effects on Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Air Traffic Control (ATC) tasks so that TRACON automation investment planning will proceed in the most effective manner. Controller task changes and new operational challenges may be a result, with some addressed by using automation capabilities in the current baseline or planned near-term automation capabilities. In order to identify potential operational challenges, The MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (MITRE/CAASD) worked with TRACON ATC Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to analyze planned NextGen improvements, and discuss how the future operating environment would differ from the current one [1]. Additionally, the group identified ways in which current and/or near-term automation capabilities could be used to address the identified challenges. Some findings from this effort are detailed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes operations and procedures envisioned for NASA's Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration #1 (ATD-1). The ATD-1 Concept of Operations (ConOps) demonstration will integrate three NASA technologies to achieve high throughput, fuel-efficient arrival operations into busy terminal airspace. They are Traffic Management Advisor with Terminal Metering (TMA-TM) for precise time-based schedules to the runway and points within the terminal area, Controller-Managed Spacing (CMS) decision support tools for terminal controllers to better manage aircraft delay using speed control, and Flight deck Interval Management (FIM) avionics and flight crew procedures to conduct airborne spacing operations. The ATD-1 concept provides de-conflicted and efficient operations of multiple arrival streams of aircraft, passing through multiple merge points, from top-of-descent (TOD) to touchdown. It also enables aircraft to conduct Optimized Profile Descents (OPDs) from en route altitude to the runway, using primarily speed control to maintain separation and schedule. The ATD-1 project is currently addressing the challenges of integrating the three technologies, and implantation into an operational environment. Goals of the ATD-1 demonstration include increasing the throughput of high-density airports, reducing controller workload, increasing efficiency of arrival operations and the frequency of trajectory-based operations, and promoting aircraft ADS-B equipage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

NASA has developed a capability for terminal area precision scheduling and spacing (TAPSS) to increase airport throughput and the use of fuel-efficient arrival procedures during periods of peak traffic congestion at high-throughput airports. This advanced technology represents NASA's current concept for the NextGen terminal metering desired capability. A series of high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulation experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the TAPSS system during off-nominal conditions, specifically aircraft executing missed-approach and go-around procedures after transitioning to the final approach fix during an attempted landing. Each simulation run contained 2–4 missed approaches during a highly congested 60-minute period. The TAPSS system was adapted to arrival operations for the Los Angeles International airport (LAX). It was also enhanced to support automated missed-approach processing and procedures. The experiments evaluated the utility of the missed approach enhanced automation features by comparing system performance and controller workload with and without the enhancements. The simulated traffic throughput exceeded that of the current LAX operations with two runways in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) by 10%. The results showed that when using the enhanced automation, the controllers could maintain the higher throughput levels with more consistent and predictable routing in the final operations but with increased vectoring and off-route aircraft in the feeder positions. Controller workload results indicated a preference for the automation enhancement especially as the numbers of missed approaches increased from 2 to 4 during the 60-minute evaluation period. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article describes the integration of a synthetic vision system into a pilot suit. The integration consists of designing the hardware part of the system — choosing the proper components and their placement into the pilot suit and helmet and modifications to the synthetic vision software. The integrated system can be used in the general aviation where it can work as a synthetic vision system with augmented reality function or in the military domain where it can also provide a ground navigation function to locate rescue points in case of ejecting from the airplane behind the enemy lines. The technical aspects of the first prototype design are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors propose a de-cluttering technique to simplify the depiction of visually complex Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures by reducing the number of paths shown on a single chart page. An experiment was conducted to determine whether charts with fewer paths (“Modified charts”) allow improved access to information in terms of time and accuracy compared with charts that are currently used (“Current charts”). Data were collected from 28 airline and 19 corporate pilots. Results show that pilot response times were significantly improved with the Modified charts. For approach procedures, the mean response time was 16.9 seconds for Current charts and 10.7 seconds for Modified charts. For departure procedures, the mean response time was 16.2 seconds for Current charts and 13.2 seconds for Modified charts. This difference in response time between Current and Modified charts was consistent across the different procedures (approach and departure), pilot types (Airline and Corporate), and chart manufacturers (FAA and Jeppesen) included in the study. Additionally, pilots answered questions correctly 99.5% of the time with no difference in response accuracy between Current and Modified charts. Note, this experiment only evaluated the potential benefit of separating paths across multiple pages and did not explore the drawbacks to this de-cluttering technique. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the beginning of Aviation, instruments have been designed to provide the pilot with the information needed to control the aircraft. During the past 30 years, pilot involvement in aircraft navigation, guidance and control has shifted from manual control to supervision of the navigation system. The domain of digital avionics provided the enablers for this shift, and several important developments started already over half a century ago. One aspect of these developments concerns the instruments designed to provide the pilot with the required information. When considering today's systems, it is not immediately obvious that for several of the currently implemented concepts there have been other, competing ones that for some reason did not make it. It may come as a surprise that some of these alternatives are conceptually superior but required technology that at the time was not sufficiently mature for implementation in an aircraft. In this paper, the history of some promising alternatives is provided, and it is speculated why these ended up as missed opportunities. To illustrate how certain instrument / data presentation concepts are better suited to provide the required guidance, navigation and control information for both skill and knowledge-based involvement of the pilot, a classification based on the inner-, directional-, and outer-loop closure of the navigation function is used. It is argued that due to the increased complexity of the pilot's supervisory control task in a future air-traffic environment, some of these alternatives need to be reconsidered as a basis for decision support, and it is illustrated what opportunities exist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the future, the war will be developed from platform-centred form to network-centred one, which will integrate the information from the equipment of land, sea, air and space. In this countermeasure environment, the source and type of information will be various and the electromagnetic interference will be very complex. To adapt the cooperative combat mode in NCW, the avionic system of airborne should integrate the information which is not only from onboard but also from off-board sensors in the ground, warship, airborne and satellite. Then, an information fusion technology is needed to deal with the multi-platform information by associating, analyzing, processing, optimizing and reasoning. After that, the globe and unified battlefield situation can be obtained, and cooperative attack and defense would come into being. This paper first analyzes the military requirements of information fusion technology used for future war, and then describes the composition, functions and architecture of Multi-Source and MultiDimension Information Fusion System (MSMDIFS) used in avionics. The configuration and the realization of MSMDIFS are discussed in detail. At last, several key techniques involved in the system are presented and the results of the closed loop dynamic tests in laboratory are given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]