Benefits Analysis of Multi-Center Dynamic Weather Routes

Abstract

Dynamic weather routes are flight plan corrections that can provide airborne flights more than user-specified minutes of flying-time savings, compared to their current flight plan. These routes are computed from the aircraft's current location to a flight plan fix downstream (within a predefined limit region), while avoiding forecasted convective weather regions. The Dynamic Weather Routes automation has been continuously running with live air traffic data for a field evaluation at the American Airlines Integrated Operations Center in Fort Worth, TX since July 31, 2012, where flights within the Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center are evaluated for time savings. This paper extends the methodology to all Centers in United States and presents benefits analysis of Dynamic Weather Routes automation, if it was implemented in multiple airspace Centers individually and concurrently. The current computation of dynamic weather routes requires a limit rectangle so that a downstream capture fix can be selected, preventing very large route changes spanning several Centers. In this paper, first, a method of computing a limit polygon (as opposed to a rectangle used for Fort Worth Center) is described for each of the 20 Centers in the National Airspace System. The Future ATM Concepts Evaluation Tool, a nationwide simulation and analysis tool, is used for this purpose. After a comparison of results with the Center-based Dynamic Weather Routes automation in Fort Worth Center, results are presented for 11 Centers in the contiguous United States. These Centers are generally most impacted by convective weather. A breakdown of individual Center and airline savings is presented and the results indicate an overall average savings of about 10 minutes of flying time are obtained per flight.

Oceanic Flights and Airspace: Improving Efficiency by Trajectory-Based Operations

“…12,13 Coupling this with a different NASA concept for aircraft automation to identify an optimal route from the aircraft's current location to the desired downstream location, 14 and the desired 4DT amendment can be readily identified. The Oceanic TBO concept, then, must address difficulties associated with the flight operator coordinating the 4DT amendment with the ASP.…”

Analysis of Multiple Flight Common Route for Traffic Flow Management

“…The details of the NASCENT system and the limit polygon creation process can be found in Ref. 8. Ref.…”

“…7) for multiple flights based on the time and fuel saving potential already assessed by DWR. The NAS Constraint Evaluation and Notification Tool (NASCENT) 8,9 is a NAS-based automation system which implements the DWR concept for all 20 Centers in the NAS (Patent Ref. 13).…”