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Experimental Evaluation of CTAS/FMS Integration in TRACON AirspaceA CTAS/FMS integration project at Ames Research Center addresses extensions to the CTAS air traffic management concept, among them the introduction of arrival routes specially designed for the use with a Flight Management System. These FMS arrival routes shall allow for the use of the INS' lateral and vertical navigation capabilities throughout the arrival until final approach. For the use in this project CTAS controller support tools that compliment the concept have been created. These tools offer controllers access to CTAS' prediction and planning capabilities in terms of speed and route advisories. The objective is to allow for a more strategic way of controlling aircraft. Expected benefits are an increase in arrival rate and a reduction of average travel times through TRACER airspace. A real time simulation is being conducted at Ames to investigate how FMS arrivals and approach transitions - with and without the support of CTAS tools - effect the flow of arriving traffic within TRACER airspace and the controllers' task performance. Four conditions will be investigated and compared to today's technique of controlling traffic with tactical vectoring: 1. FMS arrivals and approach transitions are available for controllers to issue to equipped aircraft - traffic permitting; 2. Speed advisories that match CTAS' runway balancing and sequencing plan are displayed to Feeder controllers; 3. Approach transition advisories (e.g., location of the base turn point) are displayed to Final controllers for tactical clearances ("Turn base now"); and 4. Approach transition advisories (voice and data link) are generated by CTAS and displayed to final controllers for strategic voice clearances ("Turn base five miles after waypoint xyz") or prepared in terms of a trajectory description for strategic data link clearance. Scenarios used in the study will represent current traffic and vary in density of arriving traffic and the kind and mix of equipage of arriving aircraft. Data will be collected from experiment runs with active TRACON controllers on the final approach spacing, the aircraft's speed profiles, the controllers interaction with CTAS tools, and number and timing of pilot controllers communications under the described conditions.
Document ID
20020064963
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Romahn, Stephen
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Palmer, Everett
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Null, Cynthia H.
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1999
Subject Category
Computer Programming And Software
Meeting Information
Meeting: Tenth International Symposium on Aviation Psychology
Location: Columbus, OH
Country: United States
Start Date: May 2, 1999
End Date: May 6, 1999
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-798
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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