Development of a Fast-Time, Hybrid Airspace Model

An airspace model has been developed to explore the feasibility of and automation related benefits to Concept Element (CE) 6 of NASA’s Distributed AirGround Traffic Management environment. CE-6 embodies en-route trajectory negotiation between pilot and controller. This model is intended to provide a highfidelity analysis tool for evaluating the benefit mechanisms of this CE. Recent studies have shown that there is a significant economic and airspace capacity benefit to Concept Element 6, and these benefits have been referred to as “Golden Nuggets” (GN). These benefits have been broken down into three mechanisms: basic data exchange (GN1), decision support tool (DST) and Aeronautical Data Link System (ADLS) integration (GN2), and integration of DST and aircraft Flight Management System (FMS) with ADLS (GN3). GN1 allows for more accurate trajectory predictions, leading to improved DST performance, and thus a reduced controller workload and higher airspace capacity. GN2 provides impr oved intent knowledge within DSTs, and automated message composition and broadcasting. GN2 eliminates the requirement for controllers to enter clearances into a DST, a procedure that is frequently neglected at high workload, thereby improving DST performance when it is most needed. GN3 allows controllers to uplink complex clearances as a single instruction, and pilots to accept such clearances with minimal effort. In this paper, we discuss the development of a fast-time, human performance and airspace simulator, intended to model the proposed benefits of GN1, GN2, and GN3.