NextGen Far-Term Concept Exploration for Integrated Gate-to-Gate Trajectory-Based Operations

Abstract

NASA is currently conducting concept exploration studies toward the definition of a far-term, gate-to-gate concept for Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO). This paper presents a basic architectural framework for the far-term concept and discusses some observations about implementation of trajectory-based operations in the National Airspace System. Within the concept, operators and service providers collaboratively negotiate aircraft trajectories, providing agile, optimized, aircraft-specific routing to meet service provider gate-to-gate flow-management constraints and increasing capacity by smoothly and effectively combining flight-deck-based and ground-based metering, merging, and spacing in a mixed-equipage environment. The far-term TBO concept is intended to influence the direction of mid-term TBO research and to inform the definition of stable requirements and standards for TBO communications infrastructure and user equipage.

Prototype Tool and Focus Group Evaluation for an Advanced Trajectory-Based Operations Concept

“…There is a need for new air traffic management automation that is robust to large perturbations such as convective weather, enables fuel efficient and flexible user-preferred re-routes (UPRRs), and enables strategic planning. A key concept in the NextGen transformation of the NAS, which was designed to address these problems, is the implementation of gate-to-gate TBO 2,3,4 .…”

Characterization of Metering, Merging and Spacing Requirements for Future Trajectory-Based Operations

“…Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) is one of the essential concepts in the NextGen transformation of the National Airspace System (NAS) 1,2 and in the European Union's Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) effort 3 . TBO utilizes 4-Dimensional Trajectories (4DTs) that span all phases of flight from pushback to arrival at the gate as the basis for planning and executing flight operations.…”