Abstract
Worldwide air traffic levels are growing at a rate expected to double the current traffic level by the year 2020. The current technology Air Traffic Control systems are already stretched to their limit and are prone to large delays during the peak summer travel season. There is doubt that the current systems can be scaled up to meet the expected demand levels. Many Air Traffic Management (ATM) automation systems have been proposed to increase the capability of controllers, and some are finding their way into operation. While ATM automation systems will help in handling more traffic, it is still doubtful that they can grow to meet the doubling in traffic levels foreseen. This paper presents an introduction to Distributed ATM – using the capability of airborne electronic systems to further relieve the controller workload. An overview of avionics capabilities is presented, followed by a detailed description of five specific examples of airborne capability that can be used to increase airspace capacity, as listed below. (1) An onboard method to accurately control an aircraft to cross a waypoint in the terminal area at a required time of arrival (RTA). (2) A trajectory negotiation process whereby the ground-based ATM system uses the 4D predicted trajectory computed by the aircraft, gives the aircraft RTA constraints to solve traffic conflicts, and contracts the aircraft to stay within a specified tolerance of the predicted 4D trajectory. (3) A formation flight system whereby multiple aircraft can be flown with reduced separation and controlled as a single aircraft. (4) An onboard alerting system for closely spaced parallel approaches that can increase the capacity of an airport in instrument meteorological conditions. (5) An onboard collision avoidance system that generates a conflict-free trajectory through complex airspace.
Published Version
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