|
ADS-B: An Evolution in Air Traffic Control
On June 30, 1956, two commercial planes collided in clear skies over the Grand Canyon, killing more than 100 people. Following that tragedy—and in the wake of more than 65 similar, often fatal, crashes between 1950 and 1955—the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was formed, which led to a significant leap in U.S. aviation safety.
Advanced Automated Systems for Air Traffic Controller Training
With a large percentage of the nation's present air traffic controllers expected to retire by 2015, the FAA will need to train over 10,000 new en route controllers over the next ten years. What makes this situation even more challenging is that training and certifying a controller now takes about three to five years and requires a great deal of supervision from working controllers. To help accelerate training to meet the anticipated demand for new controllers, MITRE’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) developed enrouteTrainer, an independent, stand-alone advanced automation training system.
AviationSimNet" Simplifies Testing of New Aviation Concepts
To increase joint research and reduce the cost and preparation required, the FAA’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), operated by The MITRE Corporation, along with others in the aviation community, defined and developed a standard to facilitate distributed evaluations between simulation laboratories. Known as AviationSimNet, the standard is a flexible, reusable technical specification for conducting real-time air traffic management (ATM) simulations over the Internet. Building off of proven simulation and communication standards like the Department of Defense’s high-level architecture (HLA), DIS 1278.1a, and FAA and ICAO standards, AviationSimNet reduces the time and cost of fielding new capabilities.
CAASD's Storm Chasers
During the 2006 summer severe weather season, a CAASD team observed processes and procedures during significant weather events at a number of FAA air traffic control facilities and airline operations centers. The team’s task was to observe operations and discuss events with operational personnel during Severe Weather Avoidance Procedure (SWAP) events. The intent was to assess the nature and effectiveness of coordination and responses among FAA facilities and between the FAA and its customers during significant weather events.
Controller Pilot Data Link Communications
The current Air Traffic Control (ATC) system relies heavily on voice communications between air traffic controllers and pilots to relay control instructions and other information critical to safe and expeditious flight. These communications are required to support coordination of aircraft movement in all phases of flight, to ensure aircraft separation, transmit advisories and clearances, and to provide aviation weather services. As air travel continues to increase, controller-pilot communication has increased to the saturation point during peak traffic periods at many locations.
Developing Wake Vortex Procedures to Increase Airport Capacity
Wake vortex, the horizontal turbulence generated behind aircraft, limits airport capacity by making it necessary to space arriving and departing aircraft to keep them from encountering another aircraft’s wake. MITRE’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and other industry partners to increase runway capacity by developing new safety procedures to address wake vortex.
Grand Canyon Airspace
The National Parks Overflights Act of 1987 mandates the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provide actions for substantial restoration of natural quiet to several national parks, including in the Grand Canyon National Park. A Grand Canyon Working Group has been formed to participate in any rulemaking. This group is comprised of representatives from several stakeholders, including federal agencies, affected tribal governments, and environmental, community and aviation organizations.
Performance-based Navigation Standards for the National Airspace System
To prepare for the anticipated growth and complexity in the nation’s airspace over the next decade, CAASD is working closely with the FAA and the aviation industry to develop and implement performance-based navigation procedures for the national airspace system (NAS). These new procedures—designed to increase efficiency, capacity, and safety—rely on flight deck automation to navigate with greater precision and accuracy.
Terminal Area Route Generation, Evaluation and Traffic Simulation
CAASD has been working closely with the FAA and other parties to develop and assess various near-term terminal area procedures with the aim of improving airline service. One result of CAASDs work is TARGETS (or Terminal Area Route Generation, Evaluation, and Traffic Simulation), a research tool that, has been used to interactively design routes with controllers and pilots. TARGETS has also been used for route assessment, for design refinement from flight tests, and for controller familiarization with new procedures.
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System
The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, is an instrument integrated into other systems in an aircraft cockpit. It consists of hardware and software that together provide a set of electronic eyes so the pilot can "see" the traffic situation in the vicinity of the aircraft. Part of the TCAS capability is a display showing the pilot the relative positions and velocities of aircraft up to 40 miles away. The instrument sounds an alarm when it determines that another aircraft will pass too closely to the subject aircraft. TCAS provides a backup to the air traffic control systems regular separation processes.
Traffic Flow Management and the National Airspace System
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center sits in an unremarkable office park in Herndon, VA. The lights on the Command Center floor are dim. Large wall maps display radar weather images of the United States. On one of these, thousands of green blipsone for every plane in the skymove too slowly for the eye to follow.
|
