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Experimental examination of the benefits of improved terminal air traffic control planning

January 1, 1989
  |
Journal Article
Author:
David A. Spencer
…
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 527-536.
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

Airport capacity can be improved significantly-by precisely controlling the sequence and timing of traffic flow-even when airspace usage and procedures remain fixed. In a preliminary experiment, a plan for such sequencing and timing was applied in a simulation to a 70-min traffic sample observed at Boston's Logan Airport, and the result was a 13% increase in terminal throughput. A total of 2.2 aircraft flight hours were saved. Delays imposed upon arriving traffic in the simulation were much more equitably distributed than in the actual traffic sample. An even greater improvement may be possible if controllers are able to space aircraft more precisely on final approach than was achieved in the simulation. If the plan had been followed precisely, the throughput increase would have been 23%.
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Summary

Airport capacity can be improved significantly-by precisely controlling the sequence and timing of traffic flow-even when airspace usage and procedures remain fixed. In a preliminary experiment, a plan for such sequencing and timing was applied in a simulation to a 70-min traffic sample observed at Boston's Logan Airport, and the...

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Experimental examination of the benefits of improved terminal air traffic control planning

Multisensor surveillance for improved aircraft tracking

January 1, 1989
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Journal Article
Author:
Jeffrey L. Gertz
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 381-396.
Topic:
aircraft
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

Cross-range measurements of aircraft travelling at distances of 50 to 200 miles include significant errors. Therefore, heading estimates for medium-to-long-range aircraft are not sufficiently accurate to be useful in conflict-detection predictions. Accurate crossrange measurements can be made-by using two or more sensors to measure aircraft position-but such measurements must compensate for the effects of system biases and aircraft turns. A set of algorithms has been developed that are resistant to system biases, that detect turns, and that track successfully through both biases and turns. These algorithms can be incorporated into a complete multisensor system, with good intersensor correlation of aircraft tracks and no added delays to the air traffic control processing chain.
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Summary

Cross-range measurements of aircraft travelling at distances of 50 to 200 miles include significant errors. Therefore, heading estimates for medium-to-long-range aircraft are not sufficiently accurate to be useful in conflict-detection predictions. Accurate crossrange measurements can be made-by using two or more sensors to measure aircraft position-but such measurements must compensate...

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Multisensor surveillance for improved aircraft tracking

Parallel runway monitor

January 1, 1989
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Journal Article
Author:
Raymond R. LaFrey
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 411-436.
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

The availability of simultaneous independent approaches to parallel runways significantly enhances airport capacity. Current FAA procedures permit independent approaches in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) when the parallel runways are spaced at least 4,300 ft apart. Arriving aircraft must be dependently sequenced at airports that have parallel runways separated by less than 4,300 ft, a procedure that reduces the arrival rate by as much as 250h. The need for greater airport capacity has led to intense interest in new technologies that can support independent parallel IMC approaches to runways spaced as close as 3,000 ft. This interest resulted in several FAA initiatives, including a Lincoln Laboratory program to evaluate the applicability of Mode-S secondary surveillance radars for monitoring parallel runway approaches. This paper describes the development and field activities of this program.
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Summary

The availability of simultaneous independent approaches to parallel runways significantly enhances airport capacity. Current FAA procedures permit independent approaches in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) when the parallel runways are spaced at least 4,300 ft apart. Arriving aircraft must be dependently sequenced at airports that have parallel runways separated by less...

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Parallel runway monitor

Propagation of mode S beacon signals on the airport surface

January 1, 1989
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Journal Article
Author:
M. Loren Wood Jr
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 397-410.
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

Many airports across the United States will soon be equipped with Mode S, a next generation beacon (or secondary) radar system. One feature of Mode S is that it provides a data link between airborne aircraft and air traffic controllers. If Mode S could be used to communicate with aircraft on the airport surface, the radar system would improve airport safety and efficiency on runways and taxiways. The airport surface, however, is a hostile propagation environment. This article outlines a candidate design for the propagation of Mode-S beacon signals on the airport surface. Data that support the feasibility of Mode S for surveilling runways and taxiways are presented.
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Summary

Many airports across the United States will soon be equipped with Mode S, a next generation beacon (or secondary) radar system. One feature of Mode S is that it provides a data link between airborne aircraft and air traffic controllers. If Mode S could be used to communicate with aircraft...

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Propagation of mode S beacon signals on the airport surface

TCAS: a system for preventing midair collisions

January 1, 1989
  |
Journal Article
Author:
William H. Harman III
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 437-458.
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

To reduce the possibility of midair collisions, the Federal Aviation Administration has developed the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS. This airborne system senses the presence of nearby aircraft by interrogating the transponders carried by these aircraft. When TCAS senses that a nearby aircraft is a possible collision threat, TCAS issues a traffic advisory to the pilot, indicating the presence and location of the other aircraft. If the encounter becomes hazardous, TCAS issues a maneuver advisory.
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Summary

To reduce the possibility of midair collisions, the Federal Aviation Administration has developed the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS. This airborne system senses the presence of nearby aircraft by interrogating the transponders carried by these aircraft. When TCAS senses that a nearby aircraft is a possible collision...

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TCAS: a system for preventing midair collisions

Using aircraft radar tracks to estimate winds aloft

January 1, 1989
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Journal Article
Author:
Walter M. Hollister
…
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 555-565.
Topic:
aviation weather
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

In air traffic control, the wind is a critical factor because it affects, among other important variables, the amount of time an aircraft will take to reach its destination. The authors have developed a method for estimating winds aloft in which the radar tracks of aircraft are used; i.e., data beyond what are already available to terminal air traffic control are not required. The method, which has been implemented at Lincoln Laboratory, gives a useful estimate of wind fields.
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Summary

In air traffic control, the wind is a critical factor because it affects, among other important variables, the amount of time an aircraft will take to reach its destination. The authors have developed a method for estimating winds aloft in which the radar tracks of aircraft are used; i.e., data...

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Using aircraft radar tracks to estimate winds aloft

The mode S beacon radar system

January 1, 1989
  |
Journal Article
Author:
Vincent A. Orlando
Published in:
Lincoln Laboratory Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 1989, pp. 345-362.
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

Air traffic controllers rely on primary and secondary radars to locate and identify aircraft. Secondary, or beacon, radars require aircraft to carry devices called transponders that enhance surveillance echoes and provide data links. Airports currently use a secondary-radar system known as the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS). However, ATCRBS has limitations in dense-traffic conditions, and the system's air-to-ground data link is limited. In response to these shortcomings, Lincoln Laboratory has developed the Mode Select Beacon System (referred to as Mode S), a next-generation system that extensive laboratory and field testing has validated. In addition to significant surveillance improvements, Mode S provides the general-purpose ground-air-ground data link necessary to support the future automation of air traffic control (ATC). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently installing the system with initial operation scheduled for 1991.
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Summary

Air traffic controllers rely on primary and secondary radars to locate and identify aircraft. Secondary, or beacon, radars require aircraft to carry devices called transponders that enhance surveillance echoes and provide data links. Airports currently use a secondary-radar system known as the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS). However...

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The mode S beacon radar system

TDWR Scan Strategy Requirements

November 3, 1988
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Project Report
Author:
Steven D. Campbell
…
Published in:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Report ATC-144
Topic:
radar
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

This report describes the requirements for the wan s+rategy to be employed M the
Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR). The report in divided into three main sections:
rationale, example scan strategy and requirements. The rationale for the TDWR scanstrategy
is presented in terms of 1) detection of meteorological phenomena, and 2) minimization of
range and velocity folding effects. Next, an example is provided based on an experimental scan
strategy used in Denver during the summer of 1987. Finally, the requirements for the TDWR
scan strategy are presented based on the preceding discussion. Also, an appendix is included describing the proposed criteria for switching between scan modes.
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Summary

This report describes the requirements for the wan s+rategy to be employed M the
Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR). The report in divided into three main sections:
rationale, example scan strategy and requirements. The rationale for the TDWR scanstrategy
is presented in terms of 1) detection of meteorological phenomena, and...

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TDWR Scan Strategy Requirements

Airport surface traffic automation study

May 9, 1988
  |
Project Report
Author:
Walter M. Hollister
Published in:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Report ATC-156
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

This report documents a study of requirements for an Airport Surface Traffic Automation (ASTA) system. The objective was to determine the necessary functions, establish the cost and benefits, and outline a modular system design. The highest priority function identified was an improved surface surveillance and communication system. The greatest potential for safety benefits is provided by automatic conflict alert and collision warning for pilots and controllers to prevent runway incursion accidents. Strategic and tactical planning assistance to maximize runway utilization can improve controller productivity while keeping them responsible for final decisions. The report contains a modular design for ASTA and includes specifications for a man-in-the-loop simulation of the system.
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Summary

This report documents a study of requirements for an Airport Surface Traffic Automation (ASTA) system. The objective was to determine the necessary functions, establish the cost and benefits, and outline a modular system design. The highest priority function identified was an improved surface surveillance and communication system. The greatest potential...

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Airport surface traffic automation study

Surveillance processing in the Mode S sensor

October 21, 1987
  |
Conference Paper
Author:
Jeffrey L. Gertz
Published in:
Radar-87, IEE Int. Conf., London, U.K., 19-21 October 1987, pp. 189-194.
Topic:
air traffic control
R&D area:
R&D group:

Summary

The principal function of the Mode S sensor (1), an evolutionary upgrade to the current ATCRBS (Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System) sensor, is the output of one reportper aircraft per antenna scan. This report contains the current aircraft position (range and azimuth), the identity code of its transponder, and the altitude code as supplied by its encoding altimeter. This information is derived from the aircraft transponder replies received at the sensor in response to interrogations transmitted by the sensor. For aircraft equipped with Mode S transponders, a single scheduled interrogation, directed only to that aircraft, elicits a single coding-protected reply containing both identity code and altitude code. For aircraft equipped with ATCRSS transponders, a sequence of interrogations alternately eliclt replies containing un-protected identity code or altitude code from all aircraft in the antenna mainbeam. From this description, it is clear that a Mode S aircraft report can be constructed directly fron the single reply. Surveillance processing, defined as functions that perform scan-to-scan correlation and tracking, are required in general only to predict the next scan position of the aircraft. This information is needed for the proper scheduling of the next interrogation. ATCRBS reports constructed from the aircraft replies, on the other hand, can have a number of deficiencies. The more common such problems are: 1. Either the identity code or altitude code or both can have bits declared either in error or with low confidence by the reply processor due to garbling of overlapping replies. 2. False alarm reports not corresponding to aircraft can be generated from fruit replies (responses to other sensors' interrogations) or reflection replies. 3. Multiple reports for an aircraft can be generited due to incorrect correlation of replies caused by errors in range, azimutn, or code determination. Surveillance processing for ATCRBS aircraft is tasked with correcting these problems prior to report output to the controllers or other users. It does this by correlating raw target reports with, existing track files, and using the information in these files derived from prior scan reports to correct, complete, or reject erroneous reports. This paper presents the major algorithms contained within the Mode S sensor ATCRBS surveillance processing function. It then presents experimental results that demonstrate their effectiveness. Full details of surveillance processing can be obtained by reference to (2) or [3).
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Summary

The principal function of the Mode S sensor (1), an evolutionary upgrade to the current ATCRBS (Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System) sensor, is the output of one reportper aircraft per antenna scan. This report contains the current aircraft position (range and azimuth), the identity code of its transponder, and...

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Surveillance processing in the Mode S sensor
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