The Small Aircraft Transportation System Higher Volume Operations (SATS HVO) Flight Experiment

Abstract

This paper provides a summary of conclusions from the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Higher Volume Operations (HVO) Flight Experiment which NASA conducted to determine pilot acceptability of the HVO concept for normal conditions. The SATS HVO concept improves efficiency at non-towered, non-radar airports in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) while achieving a level of safety equal to today's system. Reported are results from flight experiment data that indicate that the SATS HVO concept is viable. The success of the SATS HVO concept is based on acceptable pilot workload, performance, and subjective criteria when compared to the procedural control operations in use today at non-towered, non-radar controlled airfields in IMC. The HVO Flight Experiment, flown on NASA's Cirrus SR22, used a subset of the HVO Simulation Experiment scenarios and evaluation pilots in order to validate the simulation experiment results. HVO and Baseline (today's system) scenarios flown included: single aircraft arriving for a GPS non-precision approach; aircraft arriving for the approach with multiple traffic aircraft; and aircraft arriving for the approach with multiple traffic aircraft and then conducting a missed approach. Results reveal that all twelve low-time instrument-rated pilots preferred SATS HVO when compared to current procedural separation operations. These pilots also flew the HVO procedures safely and proficiently without additional workload in comparison to today's system (Baseline). Detailed results of pilot flight technical error, and their subjective assessments of workload and situation awareness are presented in this paper.

Overview of the Small Aircraft Transportation System Project Four Enabling Operating Capabilities

“…The simulations and flight tests have shown that low-time instrument rated pilots could fly the procedures safely, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics proficiently, and with acceptable levels of workload and situation awareness. 8,6 These results also showed that the volume of aircraft into and out of small airports could increase by four times by following HVO procedures compared to today's procedural separation by air traffic controllers. 8 This gain can be realized without an increase in workload or complexity.…”

“…8,6 These results also showed that the volume of aircraft into and out of small airports could increase by four times by following HVO procedures compared to today's procedural separation by air traffic controllers. 8 This gain can be realized without an increase in workload or complexity. The impact of the HVO concept and procedures not only leads to an increase in mobility, but also a cost savings in fuel by reducing delay time.…”

SATS HVO Concept VAlidation Experiment

“…SATS HVO scenarios represented approaches and departure procedures as described in the SATS HVO concept of operations [3]. Preliminary results from this experiment were published in [6]. The study also included a Monte Carlo analysis of throughput and approach delays that compared current day operations with SATS HVO.…”

“…The study also included a Monte Carlo analysis of throughput and approach delays that compared current day operations with SATS HVO. The same research objectives and experiment design were shared by a flight experiment conducted in the summer 2004 whose results can be found in [10]. The validation process included other studies that looked at different aspects of the concept.…”

“…The validation process included other studies that looked at different aspects of the concept. For example, in [7] the flight technical error metrics collected during simulation and flight experiments were compared in an effort to validate the simulation tools used in the ATOL. More recent pilot in the loop experiments investigated priority landings and visual flight rules (VFR) operations in the SCA as well as the use of some of the experimental avionics designed for the project [8,9].…”