GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
NASA and the FAA are looking to develop ATC tools to increase the efficiency of the US national airspace system
Raytheon is to create a modelling and simulation capability for NASA to support the assessment of air traffic management concepts designed to increase the capacity of the US national airspace system (NAS). The $9.5 million project will be performed under the company's Air Traffic Management System Development and Integration contract with NASA's Ames Research Center.
NASA is working with the US Federal Aviation Administration to develop air traffic control (ATC) tools that will increase the capacity and efficiency of the NAS, which was threatened with gridlock before the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks forced airlines to reduce flying. Work continues in anticipation of traffic growth returning to previous levels within the next 18 months to two years.
NASA-developed software tools are already being fielded at USATC centres under phase one of the FAA's Free Flight programme. Additional controller decision aids are under development by NASA for Free Flight Phase 2 and beyond. A multi-centre development of the Traffic Management Advisor, fielded under Phase 1 to help controllers with arrival sequence planning, is in simulation testing and will be fielded in the US NorthEast early next year, says Tom Edwards, chief of NASA's aviation systems division.
Also under development is the Surface Movement System (SMS), an extension of the Surface Movement Advisor (SMA) fielded under Phase 1. While the SMA increases awareness of traffic flow into the airport, the SMS will allow ground controllers to evaluate departure demand and meter traffic from the gates on to the runways. "Ultimately, we will expand the system to address arrivals," Edwards says.
Another new software tool under development for Phase 2 is called "Direct-To". This will allow airlines to exploit opportunities for direct routes that occur after a flight plan has been filed and could allow them to make up for ground delays by reducing flight time, Edwards explains.
Looking beyond Free Flight Phase 2, NASA is developing technology that would allow airports to maintain their visual flight rules (VFR) capacity as visibility reduces. Currently airports can only handle a reduced number of flights in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions. "We want to narrow the gap between VFR and IFR," says Edwards.
Under the $350 million Aviation System Technology Advanced Research programme running from 2002 to 2006, NASA will develop and test advanced airspace system concepts using a "very capable simulation capability", says Edwards. NASA is also seeking funding for the technology "building blocks" required to realise its vision of a highly automated airspace system.
Source: Flight International
