Dynamic Configuration Adjustment in the TMA

ended

DYNCAT aims at enabling more environmentally friendly and more predictable flight profiles in the TMA, namely on approach, by supporting the pilots in configuration management. Approach and take-off operations at busy airports are virtually always less noise and fuel efficient than possible due very rigid constraints imposed on the flight profiles by ATC (concerning both vertical profiles and speed regimes), but also due to lack of support to the pilots for dealing with given restrictions/constraints and actual weather in the optimum way. Current FMS functionalities do not support configuration management very well, only a simplified, static high-lift sequence with a fixed order is available. The adequacy of actual procedure flown depends very much on the pilots' skills, but also on their access to information such as actual wind situation and ATC intents. Objectives: • analyse impact of current mismatch of aircraft and ATC procedures on flyability (pilot workload, safety) and environmental impact (fuel burn and CO2; noise) • propose amendments to on-board and ground procedures including identification of necessary enablers (technical, regulatory) • quantify ecological and economical potential of proposed improvements, including the prediction of 4D Trajectories, through exemplary analysis and early prototype simulation of newly designed configuration management functionality The study will be done exemplarily using the A320 family as reference aircraft and the development of new FMS functionalities for the optimisation of the high-lift system sequencing during approach as use case. Access to recordings of actual flight operational data, associated ATC instructions issued, weather data and noise measurements for a large number of operations in Swiss airspace on one hand and the implementation of the improved functionalities on an industrial test platform on the other allow for high validity and relevance of the results.