摘要: |
A flight demonstration of arrival traffic management automation was conducted in
partnership between NASA, FAA and Boeing as an element of the latter’s ecoDemonstrator
2020 flight program. For the demonstration, NASA’s prototype Tailored Arrival Manager
(TAM) was used to compute efficient trajectory-based solutions to traffic management
problems representing those encountered during time-based metering operations today. TAM
solutions involving route modifications were uplinked to a Boeing 787 airplane using
Controller Pilot Data Link Communications and seamlessly loaded into the airplane’s Flight
Management System (FMS). The paper describes the concept and technology behind TAM
along with the data exchanges and procedures involved with the demonstration. All TAM
solutions were delivered in a timely manner and successfully integrated with the airplane’s
FMS, thereby demonstrating the basic feasibility of trajectory-based arrival management
using currently available data communications and avionics equipage. Although TAM
solutions were not executed during this initial demonstration, a limited study of trajectory
prediction accuracy was possible given that the airplane flew uninterrupted, automated
descents with known route and speed intent. Analysis revealed that TAM meter-fix arrival
time predictions were accurate to within ± ± 30 seconds for time horizons of 30 minutes or less,
which matched closely with FMS predictions acquired through real-time data exchange. Top-
of-descent predictions over similar time horizons were found accurate to within ± ± 5 nautical
miles. |