Mon, Aug 24, 2009
4D Trajectory Optimized Flight Path Through Entire Flight
The element of “time” will be introduced in flight
demonstrations by FAA and Embry Riddle.
The systems that manage flights today employ three dimensions:
altitude, latitude and longitude. A fourth dimension – time
– will be introduced in demonstrations beginning later this
year under a new agreement reached between FAA and Embry
Riddle’s aviation consortium.
The new technology, called 4D trajectory based operations, will
optimize an aircraft’s flight path through its entire flight
– or trajectory – by adding the element of time. Time,
in this case, means the ability of an aircraft to cross a specific
navigation fix at a specific time. This type of precision –
knowing an aircraft will be where it’s supposed to be at a
certain time – will improve efficiency and capacity in the
nation’s skies. It also gets to the heart of the Next
Generation Air Transportation System: moving aircraft from Point A
to Point B with greater efficiency, saving time, money and
fuel.
Beginning in the fall, flight demonstrations of the new flight
management system in 4D trajectory based operations will help
determine how well aircraft avionics predict and execute the
optimum trajectory of an aircraft while sharing the information
with ground systems. Data collected from flight management systems
will help us understand how well aircraft systems are able to
compute the most efficient path between Point A and Point B and
their ability to comply with time constraints
NextGen Cockpit File Photo
The new technology is expected to be used on flights in
medium-density markets such as Orlando. These 4D trajectory based
operations will help us determine the impact on traffic capacity
and efficiency of operations.
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