Experimental Evaluation of an Integrated Datalink and Automation-Based Strategic Trajectory Concept

Mueller, Eric

doi:10.2514/6.2007-7777

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This section briefly describes the concept for strategic trajectory operations as tested in simulation (see Ref. 31 for more details about the concept and the types of trajectories that have been evaluated for consistency with the CPDLC message set). Strategic trajectory clearances are delivered to an aircraft to solve a problem or honor a user request and then return the aircraft to its nominal preferred trajectory using a single datalink transmission.…”

Section: Strategic Trajectory Operations and Clearancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has suggested that trajectory-based automation systems on the ground can be technically interoperable with the airborne FANS1 automation systems using an integrated FMS/datalink capability. 31 Simulations conducted in the course of that research investigated the use of the trajectory-based automation functionality and software resident in the Center-TRACON Automation System and a fully certified, Level D B747-400 simulator which is fully equipped with actual FANS1 hardware and software. 8 This integration is critical since the use of these new strategic clearance types with existing voice communications and procedures will lead to increased crew workload and errors.…”

Section: Experimental Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Flight Deck Procedural Guidelines for Datalink Trajectory Negotiations

Mueller¹,

Lozito²

2008

The 26th Congress of ICAS and 8th AIAA ATIO

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This paper presents an evaluation of three different flight deck procedures for their compatibility with a Trajectory-Based Operations Concept. Particular emphasis is placed on the interoperability of trajectory-based automation concepts and technologies with modern Flight Management Systems and datalink communication to enable negotiation between air and ground. A two-way datalink connection between the trajectory-based automation resident in the Center/TRACON Automation System and the Future Air Navigation System-1 integrated Flight Management System/datalink in NASA Ames' B747-400 Level D simulator has been established. Simulation experiments investigated the use of datalink messages to communicate strategic trajectories.A strategic trajectory is defined as an aircraft deviation needed to solve a conflict or otherwise modify a flight plan route and then merge the aircraft back to its nominal preferred trajectory using a single continuous trajectory clearance. A preliminary pilot-in-the-loop simulation evaluated two candidate procedures using a variety of horizontal and vertical trajectory clearances and found each to be feasible for basic datalink trajectory exchange. The procedure most preferred by the flight crews was adapted to enable trajectory negotiation and a second piloted simulation was conducted to measure important parameters that affect safety and efficiency. This simulation established that limited information exchange during trajectory negotiation between flight deck and ground based automation systems is feasible using current aircraft equipment and modified procedures, but that a number of factors relating to flight deck procedures are important to consider when constructing datalink clearances. Guidelines for designing flight deck-compatible clearances are presented along with the effect of several conditions on the crew's message response time and the extent to which crews initiated negotiations. Among other results it was found that response times are generally shorter for vertical trajectories than horizontal, that prescribed minimum climb rates are difficult for crews to follow, and that basic negotiation using text-based messages requires little extra time than non-negotiated clearances.

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Section: Strategic Trajectory Operations and Clearancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flight Deck Procedural Guidelines for Datalink Trajectory Negotiations

Mueller¹,

Lozito²

2008

The 26th Congress of ICAS and 8th AIAA ATIO

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“…In the scenario, the controller is both monitoring the traffic situation and is receiving automation based strategic trajectories from the TBO strategic evaluation service in conjunction with communicating the strategic trajectory information to the pilot. A strategic trajectory is defined as an aircraft deviation needed to solve a conflict or honor a route request and then merge the aircraft back to its nominal preferred trajectory using a single continuous trajectory clearance [21]. This scenario introduces several human factors concerns driving the need for experimental analysis.…”

Section: Preliminary Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complexity analysis of the Next Gen Air Traffic Management System: trajectory based operations

Lyons

2012

Work

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According to Federal Aviation Administration traffic predictions currently our Air Traffic Management (ATM) system is operating at 150 percent capacity; forecasting that within the next two decades, the traffic with increase to a staggering 250 percent [17]. This will require a major redesign of our system. Today's ATM system is complex. It is designed to safely, economically, and efficiently provide air traffic services through the cost-effective provision of facilities and seamless services in collaboration with multiple agents however, contrary the vision, the system is loosely integrated and is suffering tremendously from antiquated equipment and saturated airways. The new Next Generation (Next Gen) ATM system is designed to transform the current system into an agile, robust and responsive set of operations that are designed to safely manage the growing needs of the projected increasingly complex, diverse set of air transportation system users and massive projected worldwide traffic rates. This new revolutionary technology-centric system is dynamically complex and is much more sophisticated than it's soon to be predecessor. ATM system failures could yield large scale catastrophic consequences as it is a safety critical system. This work will attempt to describe complexity and the complex nature of the NextGen ATM system and Trajectory Based Operational. Complex human factors interactions within Next Gen will be analyzed using a proposed dual experimental approach designed to identify hazards, gaps and elicit emergent hazards that would not be visible if conducted in isolation. Suggestions will be made along with a proposal for future human factors research in the TBO safety critical Next Gen environment.

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“…These procedures were developed by current commercial airline instructor pilots working with NASA as subject matter experts to align with current voice communication procedures, 18 and are very similar to previous NASA research as well. 21,22 The following procedures follow the flowchart above. They are shown for the ASTOR which is very similar to the procedures used in all the simulators used in the experiment (the simulators used in the experiment are discussed in the next section).…”

Section: Flight Crew Data Comm Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%