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NASA/FAA/RLD/NLR Free Flight study

“Free Flight with Airborne Separation will result in an uncontrolled, dangerous jungle without a firm central controlling element such as ATC.”. “Pilots haven’t got the time, the training nor the mental resources available to function as ATC on top of flying the aircraft.”.

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NASA/FAA/RLD/NLR Free Flight study

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  1. “Free Flight with Airborne Separationwill result in an uncontrolled, dangerous junglewithout a firm central controlling elementsuch as ATC.” “Pilots haven’t got the time, the training nor the mental resources available tofunction as ATC on top offlying the aircraft.”

  2. NASA/FAA/RLD/NLRFree Flight study Jacco Hoekstra (hoekstra@nlr.nl) Ronald van Gent Rob Ruigrok

  3. Free Flight goals • Reduce Costs via user preferred routing • Horizontally • direct to destination • optimum speed • Vertically • optimum level • cruise climb • More capacity

  4. Operational concept • No ATC • Probe the limits for HF problems • All aircraft fully equipped • Linked via e.g. ADS-B • EFIS-CDTI • Full user preferred routing • Direct routing • Optimal cruise altitude

  5. 1997: Three sub-studies: • CONCEPTUAL DESIGNTool: Traffic Manager: Off-line simulations • Find a suitable base-line concept • SAFETY ANALYSISTool: TOPAZ (Traffic Organization and Perturbation AnalyZer) • Compare safety of Airborne Separation with safety ATC • MAN-IN-THE-LOOP EXPERIMENT phase ITool: Research Flight Simulator • Validation of concept with Man-in-the-Loop • Man Machine Interface Validation

  6. 1998: Four sub-studies: • CONFLICT GEOMETRY STUDYTool: Traffic Manager: Off-line simulations • Check critical geometries: wall, etc. • AVIONICS STUDYLiterature survey • Check requirements for RNP, ADS-B etc. • COST-BENEFITS & PERFORMANCETool: Traffic Manager: Off-line simulations • Costs of conflict resolution • MAN-IN-THE-LOOP EXPERIMENT phase IITool: Research Flight Simulator • Validation of PredASAS & mixed equipage

  7. 1999: Three activities: • DISSEMINATIONConferences, Web site, Contract report, RTCA, ICAO • Explain results obtained so far • DATA ANALYSIS phase II trials- Analysing data generated in phase II trials • DEVELOPMENT HUMAN INTERACTION EXPTool: Traffic Manager, Freesim & internet • Effect of competition

  8. 2000+: Current and future activities • HUMAN INTERACTION EXPERIMENTTraffic Manager, FreeSim, internet- High number of participants, humans vs models, competition • PHASE III FLIGHT SIMULATOR TRIALSNLR simulator, NASA Langley Simulations, HIE cfg(?)- How low can you go?From cruise to final incl. SUA, weather, RTA • Continue dissemination effortsWeb site, symposia, conferences, RTCA, SAE, (IF)ALPA

  9. Traffic & Experiment Manager

  10. Result Traffic Manager simulations • Resolution advisoriesSeveral concepts studied: • Altitude step • Cross product of speed vectors • Extended VFR rules (not implemented) • Variations of TCAS manoeuvres • Voltage potential • Co-operative manoeuvring vs. priority • Minimal bandwidth/HF: no intent in Conflict Detection

  11. Intruder’s protected zone Minimumdistance Heading distance Ownship Speed change Avoidance vector Intruder Conflict Detection & Resolution

  12. Complex Conflict geometries • ‘Wall’ scenarios, ‘super conflict’ (n = 4,8,10,12,16) and ‘crossing the street’

  13. Man-in-the-loop Simulation Configuration RFS AIRSIM TEM

  14. Traffic Symbol added to ND • Symbology on Navigation display based on data available via ADS-B • Track indicated with arrow shaped symbol instead of track line to avoid clutter • Label text selectable with de-clutter switches • Call sign added to label of traffic symbol for inter-trafficand crew communication

  15. Conflict Detection & Resolution • Symbology based on resolution algorithm • Provides insight into resolution • Colour indicates urgency:Amber = 3 - 5 minRed = 0 - 3 min(time to loss of separation)

  16. Navigation Display

  17. Man-in-the-Loop experimentHypotheses First explorative HF experiment, so probably using ‘simple’ Mk 1 system would yield: • Less than acceptable • Subjectively less safe • More workload Result: MMI problem areas

  18. Man-in-the-Loop experimentResults - Acceptability

  19. Man-in-the-Loop experimentResults- Subjective Safety

  20. Man-in-the-Loop experimentResults

  21. Task comparison Controlled vs. Free Flight

  22. Predictive ASAS Calculates which track, vertical speed and speed selections will result in a conflict within the look ahead time Predicts a conflict by the red/amber zone moving to the actual values Indications do not require pilot actions

  23. Predictive ASAS Don’t go indications: • Track • Vertical speed • Speed

  24. Preliminary conclusions PASAS • With predictive ASAS even conflict alerts could be avoided • Enhances situational awareness • Might provide solution without use of intent information for Free Flight!

  25. Mixed equipage ATM concepts • Flight Level division:Above FF level only equipped aircraft • Protected Airways:Controlled aircraft should stay on airways and have right of way • Fully Mixed:ATC uses longer ‘look ahead’ time, so equipped aircraft have effectively ‘right of way’

  26. 1998 NASA / FAA / RLD Results: Workload Airborne Subjective: Objective:

  27. 1998 NASA / FAA / RLD Results: Workload Ground F(2,8)= 9.7, P< .008

  28. 1998 Man-in-the-loop Conclusions • The future ATM design has to be chosen very carefully: • Full Mixed ATM condition is best from the pilot’s perspective • Protected Airways ATM condition is sensitive to equipage level (transition in time) • Flight Level ATC condition is most optimal from Air Traffic Controller’s perspective (Hilburn, Pekela) • The flight deck crew was able to handle higher traffic densities than the ground controller

  29. Current men-in-the-loop experiment:human interaction experiment • Logging into Traffic Manager via internet using downloadable FreeSim flight simulation program Goal: Test effect of • humans vs models • competition

  30. Airport on FF perspective: bad news(?) • Dramatic airspace capacity increase in FF airspace (en-route) => airports will be bottleneck (again)

  31. Airport perspective on FF: good news • ASAS equipment (especially traffic display) could facilitate more efficient use under IMC of: • airspace (curved, merging, station keeping) • runways (concurrent use of parallel and crossing runways) • taxiways (showing other a/c and ground vehicles) • => potential to increase sustained capacity

  32. More information • Web site:http://www.nlr.nl/public/hosted-sites/freeflight • Comprehensive report on overall studies 1997-1999Will soon be published. Check web site for downloads! • Demo sessions of human interaction experiment configuration will be announced on the website

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