Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) - Joint Planning and ...
Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) - Joint Planning and ...
Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) - Joint Planning and ...
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<strong>Trajectory</strong>-<strong>Based</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> (<strong>TBO</strong>)<br />
Study Team Report<br />
18.17 Staffed <strong>and</strong> Remote NextGen Towers<br />
<strong>TBO</strong> is highly dependent on communications, navigation, <strong>and</strong> surveillance on the surface <strong>and</strong> in the<br />
equivalent of terminal airspace. Staffed <strong>and</strong> remote towers are alternatives to providing ANSP services<br />
at lower-activity airports. <strong>TBO</strong> is built on a concept that is flexible in providing RCP, Required<br />
Surveillance Performance (RSP), RNP, <strong>and</strong> now RTP. It can be adjusted for traffic density or<br />
airport/airspace complexity. The question is, how good does <strong>TBO</strong> have to be to support staffed <strong>and</strong><br />
remote NextGen towers? The scenarios identified use of merging <strong>and</strong> spacing for arrivals <strong>and</strong> the<br />
possible use of departure times to meet merging into en route flows. <strong>TBO</strong> has benefits in eliminating<br />
the one-in-one-out operations in areas without surveillance coverage <strong>and</strong> for sequencing arrivals.<br />
However, these benefits may be small due to the density of traffic when compared with equipping<br />
staffed <strong>and</strong> remote towers with the necessary automation tools.<br />
Recommendation <strong>TBO</strong>-30<br />
The <strong>TBO</strong> Study Team recommends creating a baseline staffed <strong>and</strong> baseline remote tower traffic model<br />
that can be used for answering operational questions at the lower traffic densities expected. These<br />
models can then be used to help define procedures, identify benefits, <strong>and</strong> integrate GA traffic more<br />
fully into <strong>TBO</strong>.<br />
18.18 Time-<strong>Based</strong> RTA vs. Merging <strong>and</strong> Spacing<br />
The <strong>TBO</strong> Study Team began their deliberations with the underst<strong>and</strong>ing that there would be one RTA<br />
set in the FMS, consistent with today’s FMS capabilities. In RTP, the objective is to meet the required<br />
time with a precision consistent with the density of traffic. The key advantage throughout the concept<br />
is that the more precise the time performance the more precise the separation. In high-density airspace,<br />
another advantage is the reduction in variability on arrival <strong>and</strong> approach to actually produce additional<br />
arrivals per hour for the same runway.<br />
However, there is a balance between actual time performance <strong>and</strong> RTP. RTP occurs in merging <strong>and</strong><br />
spacing. An RTA may only be valid at TOD for the case where the ANSP then asks the aircraft to<br />
merge, space, <strong>and</strong> follow another aircraft. At that point, the following aircraft shifts from absolute to<br />
relative time. As the sequence is developed for arrivals, <strong>and</strong> these arrival streams merged for the<br />
approach, an RTA to the initial approach fix becomes immaterial. In this case, the pilot is managing<br />
the interval between herself <strong>and</strong> the aircraft being followed.<br />
Recommendation <strong>TBO</strong>-31<br />
Technology needs to be matured to integrate aircraft capabilities <strong>and</strong> controller practices relating to<br />
airborne merging <strong>and</strong> spacing. Interleaving of capable <strong>and</strong> not capable aircraft is an issue that requires<br />
procedural <strong>and</strong> decision support automation development, so that during the transition, <strong>TBO</strong> benefits<br />
can be realized on arrivals <strong>and</strong> approach. The capable aircraft will be able to merge <strong>and</strong> space on any<br />
aircraft, however, procedural research <strong>and</strong> development is required to underst<strong>and</strong> how merging <strong>and</strong><br />
spacing will work in both mixed equipage <strong>and</strong> high-density operations.<br />
18.19 OI for Closely Spaced Runways<br />
Existing OIs on closely spaced runways fail to identify the targeted runway separation distances <strong>and</strong> do<br />
not cover the benefits of <strong>TBO</strong> in terms of getting aircraft aligned <strong>and</strong> sustaining separation during the<br />
maneuvers.<br />
<strong>Joint</strong> <strong>Planning</strong> <strong>and</strong> Development Office<br />
104