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Enhancing Planning & Predictability
Model aims to enhance Trajectory Based Operations
Hundreds of aircraft can fly into an airport in a matter of seconds when the operation is a computer simulation. The FAA's fast-time simulation model called Trajectory Based Operations in a Stochastic Integrated Model (TBO-SIM) can do that and more to study TBO.
James Bonn, project lead in the Business Case Integration and NAS Modeling Branch (ANG-B71), began building TBO-SIM about four years ago. It runs on a standard laptop computer and is calibrated with years of historical data on NAS performance during traffic management initiatives (TMI). When optimized, TBO provides 4-D trajectory tools to air traffic managers and controllers to improve the balancing of demand to capacity and remove unnecessary static restrictions.
“You can spend months on human-in-the-loop testing for real-time simulation,” he said. “With fast-time simulation, we can simulate 600 to 700 aircraft flying into Newark in 20 seconds.”
Because the model simultaneously measures multiple NAS performance goals, it can evaluate trade-offs in these performance measures. For instance, better predictability may come at the expense of fuel consumption. Although the airlines’ main focus is on maximizing throughput, they also consider fuel burn and predictability, Dave Knorr, manager of the NextGen Systems Analysis and Modeling Division (ANG-B7), said.
TBO-SIM captures what actually reduces uncertainty to yield TBO benefits. The tool can answer “what if” scenarios that affect aircraft flying on TBO paths. “We have run simulations looking at a potential future where we can credibly reduce the uncertainties, where the model shows improvements in throughput, efficiency, and predictability,” Bonn said.
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Reconciling Veterans' Pilot Medical Records
The FAA is offering an opportunity for certain pilots who served in the U.S. military and may be receiving disability benefits from the VA to reconcile medical applications and records. Just under 4,800 of the more than 600,000 certified pilots might have submitted incorrect or false information about certain medical conditions that qualify for Veterans Administration benefits as part of their most recent FAA medical application. “We know [veterans] share our goal of keeping our aerospace system safe,” said David Boulter, acting assistant administrator for aviation safety. “We look forward to resolving this issue in a timely manner.”
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Safety & Technical Training along with Flight Program Operations and Flight Standards Service hosted officials from Iceland’s counterpart to the FAA, Isavia, a pivotal partner in the ICAO North Atlantic Region. This is part of the Administrator’s Flight Plan 21 to demonstrate global leadership in how the FAA safely integrates new users and technologies into our aviation system. “I welcome these opportunities to exchange ideas and experiences with peers who are facing the same issues as us, as we all rebound from the pandemic, work through hiring and training challenges, and consider global airspace needs,” said ATO COO Tim Arel.
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FAA, Qantas Begin Operational Trials Of Oceanic Data Link
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June 21, 1995: FAA and Qantas Airlines completed the first in a series of operational trials of a satellite-based communication, navigation, and surveillance system. The Future Air Navigation System (FANS) was designed to improve communication between controllers and pilots on oceanic and remote flights. It used two-way satellite communications to provide, for the first time, direct pilot-controller communications over oceans and other remote areas normally out of range of ground-based stations. The trials involved a Quantas 747 communicating with a FAA test team in Atlantic City, ahead of a prototype oceanic data link system arriving later that year at Oakland Center. |
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 Register Now! Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Symposium June 27-29.
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