United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Kapil S Sheth

John F Schipper

Gano Broto Chatterji

Heinz Erzberger

B David McNally

Banavar Sridhar

Karl D Bilimoria

Shon Grabbe

Fu-tai Shih

Sebastian A Gutierrez-Nolasco

Alexander R Morando

Alexis A Clymer

Method of miles-in-trail passback restrictions for use in air traffic management. Miles-in-trail restrictions can be used as a traffic management initiative when downstream traffic congestion at airports or in sectors is anticipated. To successfully implement the miles-in-trail at airspace fixes or navigational aids, it is desired that restriction values be computed for passing back to upstream facilities at specific boundaries. This method incorporates traffic manager feedback, resulting in significant improvement in guidance. Additional operational considerations required by traffic managers to implement the passback restrictions, namely maximum ground delay and absorbable airborne delay, are used in this method. The method also includes the step of absorbing a small amount of ground and airborne delays which are sufficient to handle the imposed constraint. The method further includes the step of implementing the passback restrictions to provide traffic managers ways to alleviate traffic constraints for reducing excessive airborne delay for current traffic conditions.

Miles-in-trail with passback restrictions for use in air traffic management

A dynamic constraint avoidance route system automatically analyzes routes of aircraft flying, or to be flown, in or near constraint regions and attempts to find more time and fuel efficient reroutes around current and predicted constraints. The dynamic constraint avoidance route system continuously analyzes all flight routes and provides reroute advisories that are dynamically updated in real time. The dynamic constraint avoidance route system includes a graphical user interface that allows users to visualize, evaluate, modify if necessary, and implement proposed reroutes.

Method and system for air traffic rerouting for airspace constraint resolution

A dynamic weather route system automatically analyzes routes for in-flight aircraft flying in convective weather regions and attempts to find more time and fuel efficient reroutes around current and predicted weather cells. The dynamic weather route system continuously analyzes all flights and provides reroute advisories that are dynamically updated in real time while the aircraft are in flight. The dynamic weather route system includes a graphical user interface that allows users to visualize, evaluate, modify if necessary, and implement proposed reroutes.

Method and system for dynamic automated corrections to weather avoidance routes for aircraft in en route airspace

Methods for evaluating and implementing air traffic management tools and approaches for managing and avoiding an air traffic incident before the incident occurs. A first system receives parameters for flight plan configurations (e.g., initial fuel carried, flight route, flight route segments followed, flight altitude for a given flight route segment, aircraft velocity for each flight route segment, flight route ascent rate, flight route descent route, flight departure site, flight departure time, flight arrival time, flight destination site and/or alternate flight destination site), flight plan schedule, expected weather along each flight route segment, aircraft specifics, airspace (altitude) bounds for each flight route segment, navigational aids available. The invention provides flight plan routing and direct routing or wind optimal routing, using great circle navigation and spherical Earth geometry. The invention provides for aircraft dynamics effects, such as wind effects at each altitude, altitude changes, airspeed changes and aircraft turns to provide predictions of aircraft trajectory (and, optionally, aircraft fuel use). A second system provides several aviation applications using the first system. Several classes of potential incidents are analyzed and averted, by appropriate change en route of one or more parameters in the flight plan configuration, as provided by a conflict detection and resolution module and/or traffic flow management modules. These applications include conflict detection and resolution, miles-in trail or minutes-in-trail aircraft separation, flight arrival management, flight re-routing, weather prediction and analysis and interpolation of weather variables based upon sparse measurements. The invention combines these features to provide an aircraft monitoring system and an aircraft user system that interact and negotiate changes with each other.

Air traffic management evaluation tool

Method and system for evaluating and implementing air traffic management tools and approaches for managing and avoiding an air traffic incident before the incident occurs. The invention provides flight plan routing and direct routing or wind optimal routing, using great circle navigation and spherical Earth geometry. The invention provides for aircraft dynamics effects, such as wind effects at each altitude, altitude changes, airspeed changes and aircraft turns to provide predictions of aircraft trajectory (and, optionally, aircraft fuel use). A second system provides several aviation applications using the first system. These applications include conflict detection and resolution, miles-in trail or minutes-in-trail aircraft separation, flight arrival management, flight re-routing, weather prediction and analysis and interpolation of weather variables based upon sparse measurements.

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Campbell, CA, United States of America

Kapil S Sheth