Tailored Arrivals & the En Route/ Descent Advisor

1. Tailored Arrivals & the En Route/ Descent Advisor Concept, Initial Field Trials, and Future Research Directions SAE Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems Committee Subcommittee D – Dynamics, Computations & Analysis Crown Plaza, Williamsburg Williamsburg, VA October 13, 2006 Rich Coppenbarger Automation Concepts Research Branch (AFC) NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA

2. Outline • Tailored Arrivals: Concept, Benefits, Background • Trajectory Specification and Role of EDA Automation • Oceanic Tailored Arrivals (OTA) Field Trials • Overview • Profiles • Procedures • Data Collection • Initial Results • Summary

3. What is a Tailored Arrival? An adaptable trajectory solution that enables an efficient, continuous descent from cruise altitude to runway threshold Ideally: • Allows continuous, near idle descent • “Tailored” by ATC through selection of speed, altitude and route constraints • Avoid conflicts • Meet sequence and schedule constraints • Avoid weather, terrain, and restricted airspace • Acknowledge individual aircraft operational constraints • Given as a single clearance well prior to TOD • Coordinated across facility boundaries • Delivered by data-link for minimal workload • Loaded into and flown by aircraft FMS

4. Why Tailored Arrivals? • Reduced fuel burn • Reduced noise • Reduced emissions • Reduced controller and pilot workload • Improved arrival trajectory certainty and situational awareness • Improved engine life (due to fewer level-off power cycles) • Provide a return on existing airline avionics investment • Acquire immediate benefits in low density airspace using currently deployed systems • Blaze a trail towards next-generation ATC concepts and systems (NGATS 2025) Measured benefits from related field trails (e.g., Australian TA, Louisville CDA): • 300 - 800 lb fuel savings per flight • 2 - 5 minutes time savings per flight (under non metering conditions) • 3 – 6 dB average noise reduction per flight

5. Problem Illustration Actual SFO-Arrival Tracks observed on 2/3/06 B744 B772

6. CDA Field Trials, Louisville Team: FAA, Boeing, NASA, MIT, UPS, Volpe Center, Purdue University Operation: • 2002 Trial: • Select UPS B767 flights flew RNAV/VNAV CDA from TRACON entry to runway threshold • Two-week flight test: 10/29/02 – 11/9/02 • Two similar flights per night: 1 flew CDA, following flew conventional step-down approach • CDA with low/idle engine thrust inside SDF TRACON • Clearance issued by voice and entered manually into FMS • 2004 Trial: • Select UPS B757 & B767 flights flew RNAV/VNAV CDA from cruise to runway threshold • Two-week flight test: 9/14/04 – 9/25/04 • 12 flights per night flew CDA procedure • CDA with low/idle engine thrust inside Indy Center & SDF TRACON • Clearance issued by voice and selected from FMS database Findings: • 3 – 6 dBA noise reduction with CDA • .5 – 1.5 min reduction in nominal flight time • 450 – 550 lb fuel reduction (validated in simulator)

7. Australian TA Field Trials Team: ASA, Boeing, Qantas, Air Traffic Alliance (EADS, Thales, Airbus) Operation: • Qantas B747 & A330 flights on Singapore to Sydney and Singapore to Melbourne routes • TA procedure executed from approx 140 nmi (30 min) from airport to runway threshold • 6-month flight test (April to September, 2004) involving total of 80 flights • Clearances generated on ground and communicated with TAAATS ground system over CPDLC • TA clearance given at least 20 min prior to TOD, to allow adequate time for crew review • TA procedure replicated normal arrival procedure (STAR) with additional speed and altitude constraints • Most of TA procedure loaded into FMS from uplink message (some elements sourced from FMS database) • Time constraints at waypoints up-linked for small sample of flights to test RTA capabilities Findings: • Accurate ETA predictions by FMS from pre-TOD over 40-min time horizon (+/- 30 sec) • Fuel-burn results processed by Qantas in post-trial simulation: 400-800 lb/flight savings • Numerous operational issues discovered, some resolved during test

8. EDA Ground automation generates TA trajectory clearance How will Tailored Arrivals Work? FANS (or other) 5 TA trajectory flown with FMS 4 TA trajectory received and loaded into FMS upon pilot concurrence 6 Aircraft downlinks parameters for ATC trajectory confirmation/tuning ATOP/ERAM 3 CPDLC TA clearance delivered to aircraft over data-link 7 TA procedure broken off if trajectory can’t be continued for any reason 2 1 TA clearance coordinated across ATC domains/systems

9. Turn-back point Capture waypoint TOD • Cruise Speed • Cruise Altitude • Descent Mach TRACON • Descent CAS BOD Meter Fix TRACON Runway EDA Component TMA plans sequence and schedule to TRACON meter fix EDA generates advisories to meet TMA schedule (absorb delay) Vertical advisories involve cruise speed, descent speed, and altitude Horizontal advisories involve path stretching

10. TA Trajectory Specification Basic TA clearance defines lateral routing and one or more crossing restrictions through IAF (e.g. Menlo) Initial cruise/decent speeds and TOD will be dynamically controlled by EDA

11. Oceanic Tailored Arrivals Field Trials

12. Central-East Pacific (CEP) Route Structure

13. Participants • Boeing • Airborne integration • Profile development • End-to-end systems validation • Airline/community advocacy • NASA • EDA and Wx data systems development, integration, and testing (AFC & AFD) • Human procedures development and testing (TIH) • Profile development and analysis (TIH & AFC) • FAA advocacy (AFC) • FAA • Field-test endorsement and permission • Facility and controller access • ATOP system upgrades • EDA systems integration • UAL • Field-test endorsement and participation • AOC coordination • Flight crew information/training

14. Quantitative Objectives • Validate assumed benefit mechanisms with real-world data: • Fuel savings • Noise reduction in TRACON (for near-term application, we want to specifically address noise signature over OSI) • Emissions reduction in TRACON • Engine stress reduction • Study underlying trajectory prediction accuracy • Effect of data exchange (primarily winds) on trajectory prediction accuracy • Comparison of EDA and FMS trajectory predictions • Comparison of EDA trajectory predictions with actual flight track • Comparison of FMS trajectory predictions with actual flight track

15. Scope • Trans-pacific UAL FANS 1/A arrival operations. • Phase 1 involved UAL 76 en route SFO from HNL via the fixed Central-East Pacific (CEP) track system. • Conducted August 17 - September 6, 2006 • Events initiated approx 2-hours prior to 5:20 AM (local) arrival at SFO • Stop date driven by UAL equipage swap to non-FANS aircraft type. • Phase 2 expected to commence November 2006. • Continue with UAL 76 one night per week • Hoping to transition to UAL B-777 and B-747 arrivals from Asia/Australia via oceanic flex tracks defined by ZOA’s Pacific Coast Track System (PACOTS). • FAA approval is pending

16. Scope (continued) • Key events: • Up-link of basic OTA clearance that coveys waypoints , speed/altitude constraints at waypoints, approach procedure, and runway assignment. • Up-link of cruise and descent winds from ground-based model (NOAA RUC-2) • Up-link of EDA-computed descent speed schedule • Down-link of ADS-C reports at a 2-min periodic rate

17. Profile Development Process • Designed CDA profiles to overlay efficient lateral routes • Coordinated with ZOA/NCT on required airspace and procedural constraints • Tested and refined FMS/VNAV profiles in flight simulation at UAL, Boeing, NASA Ames • Observed actions by line pilots in managing energy state, i.e., controlling both path and speed under various wind conditions • Developing a “one size fits all” profile has proved to be challenging • B-777 tends to carry excess energy in managing to path, thereby requiring aggressive drag deployment actions (speed brakes, flaps, gear) • B-747 tends to require additional energy input (thrust) to maintain path, especially when encountering unexpected head winds

18. Basic OTA Clearance Up-Link At CINNY cleared to: • BRINY – 11000/240kts • OSI - 7000A • MENLO – 200kts / 4500A • ILS28R Approach • Runway 28R Clearance relies on published approach procedure

19. Data Collection (Quantitative)

20. Microphone Deployment Permanent noise monitor sites KSFO Deployed portable noise monitors CEPIN AXMUL MENLO Courtesy SFO Noise Abatement Office OSI

21. Procedures: Basic Event Series • Approx 2 hours prior to SFO arrival flight crew downlinks intent to participate in OTA trials 

22. Controller modifies ADS-C reporting contract to capture data at 2-min intervals 

23. Controller up-links Basic OTA clearance via CPDLC • At [CINNY] cleared [ROUTE CLEARANCE] • [ROUTE CLEARANCE] includes lateral route, crossing restrictions, approach procedure, and runway assignment 

24. Flight crew loads Basic OTA clearance into FMS and reviews • If acceptable, crew downlinks “wilco” and activates route in FMS • If unacceptable, crew downlinks “unable” 

25. Updated cruise/descent winds, based on CTAS/RUC, are sent to AOC by EDA test engineer for uplink and FMS auto-load • Cruise wind @ CINNY • Descent winds @ OSI for 100 ft, 10K ft, FL 180, FL 250 

26. For EDA and scenarios, test engineer sets metering time at TRACON boundary • EDA cruise/descent speeds are computed and up-linked, e.g. FMC SPEED SCHEDULE: CRZ [.83], DES [.83/286] • Upon acceptance, flight crew enters EDA instruction into FMS 

27. OC4 hands-off to ZOA Sector 35 • CPDLC services drop off • ATOP ADS contract automatically terminated upon hand-off 

28. Controller issues pilot discretionary descent clearance down to 8,000 ft along OTA profile TOD 

29. NCT controller clears aircraft to continue OTA descent and provides approach clearance  TOD

30. Localizer intercept, glide-slope capture, and landing  TOD

31. Initial Findings from OTA Trials • Limited data set, not statistically significant • Qualitative findings have proven indispensable for shaping concept and refining procedures in preparation for follow-on R&D • Quantitative analysis still very much a work in progress • Fuel, noise, and emissions analyses are currently underway by Boeing

32. Initial Findings - Quantitative • FMS arrival time prediction to TRACON boundary (at BRINY) • EDA arrival time prediction to TRACON boundary • EDA trajectory prediction performance • Altitude error • Cross-track error

33. OTA Opportunities Attempted OTAs Successful Route Uplink Successful Wind Uplink Successful** CDA (ZOA) Successful** CDA (NCT) 8* 16* 21 17 17 13 Basic EDA Basic EDA Basic EDA Basic EDA Basic EDA Basic EDA 3 10 14 7 14 3 14 3 10 6 8 0 OTA Phase 1 Run Statistics * Data not yet available for 1 flight so it is not included ** Non CDA success characterized by short level-off segments.

34. Nominal Vertical Profile (Non OTA) August 19, 2006

35. Vertical Profile with OTA Procedures August 29, 2006 EDA-assigned speed schedule = .84 M, 290 kt CAS

36. FMS Predictions to BRINY ADS-C FMS intent data captured through ATOP

37. FMS Predictions to BRINY (continued) ADS-C FMS intent data captured through Boeing ACAT

38. Mean = 8 seconds late Max Early = 20 seconds Max Late = 38 seconds Std Dev = 20 FMS Predictions to BRINY * Includes only OTA w/EDA flights with adequate predictive data at CREAN and successful wind uplinks

39. Mean = 24 seconds late Max Early = 2 seconds Max Late = 50 seconds Std Dev = 16 EDA Predictions to BRINY

40. Mean = 24 seconds late Max Early = 2 seconds Max Late = 50 seconds Std Dev = 16 Mean = 8 seconds late Max Early = 20 seconds Max Late = 38 seconds Std Dev = 20 Comparisons of FMS and EDA Predictions to BRINY

41. Mean (ft) Mean (nm) Max (ft) Max (nm) Std Dev (nm) Std Dev (ft) EDA Trajectory Prediction Performance ALTITUDE ERROR CROSS TRACK ERROR EDA Flights Included 496 3908 725 .45 3.42 .64 All Flights Flights with Wind Uplink 446 3154 668 .37 3.42 .71

42. EDA Trajectory Prediction Performance

43. Summary • Tailored Arrivals concept offers compelling, simultaneous benefits: fuel, noise, and emissions reduction through CDA. • Challenge is to plan and successfully execute CDA trajectories in the presence of congested and complex traffic conditions. This is where the true benefits are! • Predictive ground-based automation capable of generating conflict-free, flow-rate-conformant solutions from cruise to runway is the key to the problem. • Existing EDA prototype automation is a start, but needs further algorithm development with extension into the lower airspace domain. • Tailored Arrivals concept is cross-cutting to several basic NGATS technology elements: FMS/data-link integration, air-ground data exchange, trajectory-based operations, time-based metering with separation constraints. • Oceanic automation (air and ground) has provided an excellent environment for validating Tailored Arrivals procedures and system interoperability. • Current field trials have been highly successful and will be used to identify immediate procedural improvements while supporting long-term R&D goals.