The Experimental Flight Management System: Advanced Functionality to Comply with ATC Constraints11This is the third of a series of articles from the PHARE program, which is described in “What is PHARE?” published in ATCQ, Volume 2, Number 2, 1994.

Abstract

The experimental flight management system (EFMS) project is part of the Programme for Harmonised Air Traffic Management Research in EURO-CONTROL (PHARE). The main objective of this project is to provide all PHARE partners with a common experimental flight management system that enables them to conduct research into advanced air-ground integrated air traffic management concepts. A phase 1 version of the EFMS has been developed, comprising the functionality required for the conduct of both enroute and terminal maneuvering area experiments, planned within PHARE on air-ground negotiation of four dimensional (4-D) trajectories. The EFMS has already been integrated into three research aircraft and two simplified flight deck simulators used for air traffic control (ATC) simulations. The initial version of the EFMS has the capability to predict a 4-D trajectory according to a set of constraints given by an ATC planning computer. It negotiates this trajectory with ATC via data link and it generates guidance commands for the autopilot/autothrottle system to steer the aircraft along the negotiated trajectory. This article describes the role of the EFMS within the PHARE program; the funtionality of trajectory prediction is described and results from initial flight trials are given. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.