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Time and Energy Managed Operations (TEMO) is

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Abstract-Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) with Controlled Times of Arrival (CTA) at one or several metering fixes could enable environmentally friendly procedures without compromising airspace capacity. Extending the current capabilities of state-of-the-art Flight Management Systems (FMS), the Time and Energy Managed Operations (TEMO) concept is able to generate optimal descent trajectories with an improved planning and guidance strategy to meet CTA. The primary aim of this paper is to compare the performances of TEMO (in terms of fuel consumption and time error) with respect to a typical FMS, that is an FMS without re-planning mechanism during descent based on time or altitude errors. The comparison is performed through simulation, using an A320-alike simulation model and considering several scenarios in presence of CTA and wind uncertainties. Results show that TEMO is capable of guiding the aircraft along a minimum fuel trajectory still complying with a CTA, even if significant wind prediction errors are present. For a same scenario, a typical FMS without re-planning capabilities or tactical time-error nulling mechanism during the descent, would miss the CTA in most cases.

In previous research, an aircraft trajectory planning algorithm was developed aiming at\ud optimizing continuous descent operations with required times of arrival at given waypoints.\ud A non-linear optimal control problem was solved by using direct transcription methods.\ud In this paper, enhanced models for the same optimization framework are presented, im-\ud proving the accuracy of the optimized trajectories. These new models take into account\ud wind, realistic atmospheric conditions, curved trajectories and general improvements in the\ud aircraft dynamics model. Preliminary results are shown in a hypothetical scenario where\ud trajectories are optimized from cruise altitude to the runway with different required times\ud of arrival at the threshold. The effects of wind and non-standard atmospheres can be easily\ud appreciated.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version