Airport Surface Traffic Management Decision Support: Perspective Based on Tower Flight Data Management Prototype

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Airport Surface Traffic Management Decision Support: Perspective Based on Tower Flight Data Management Prototype

V. Mehta / T. G. Reynolds / M. A. Ishutkina / D. Joachim / Y. Glina

This report describes accomplishments and insights gathered during the development of decision support tools as part of the Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program. This work was performed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The TFDM program integrated flight data, aircraft surveillance, information on weather and traffic flow constraints, and other data required to optimize airport conguration and arrival/departure management functions. The prototype has been evaluated in both human-in-the-loop simulations, and during operational tests at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport. In parallel, the Laboratory estimated future national operational benefits for TFDM decision support functions, using analysis and performance data gathered from major airports in the US. This analysis indicates that the greatest potential operational benefits would come from decision support tools that facilitate: (i) managing runway queues and sequences, (ii) tactical management of flight routes and times, impacted by weather and traffic constraints, and (iii) managing airport configuration changes. Evaluation of TFDM prototype decision support functions in each of these areas provided valuable insights relative to the maturity of current capabilities and research needed to close performance gaps.