Air Traffic Management Concept Baseline Definition - The Boeing ...

• Flow managers
Figure 3.3 shows the flight planning function, performed by AOC, local dispatch, or an
individual pilot. Airline operational control agents and dispatchers have detailed
knowledge of their airline’s business objectives and the nature of the airline’s operation,
much of which cannot be shared with outside agents for competitive reasons. In addition,
their operational objectives can change so rapidly that it may not be practical to express
them in much detail to outside organizations. Thus, it is necessary in today’s business
climate to allow each operator to make some of the decisions that influence the efficiency
of their daily operation.
Weather Forecast
(Airline) Schedule
Available Fleet
Flight
Planning
Airline Operational Control
Flight Plans
Technical performance parameters:
• prediction time horizon: hrs - day
• prediction time resolution: 15 mins
• spatial resolution: airports
Figure 3.3 AOC and the Flight Planning Function
Figure 3.4 shows the national flow planning function, which is assigned to central flow
managers. This function originated as a safety net to protect the sector controller team,
but has a large impact on operator efficiency through its interaction with the operator’s
flight planning activity. In addition, due to the competition between operators that is
inherent in operating in an overloaded system, there is a need for arbitration, and this is a
natural role for the flow management agent. The art is to manage effectively, while
allowing the individual agents sufficient room to optimize their operation, and this is the
objective of the Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) initiative, as discussed in Section
3.3.9.
3.2.6 Separation Assurance and Technical Performance
Figure 3.5 shows the guidance and navigation function, which is performed by the cockpit
crew. The cockpit crew has the most detailed and up-to-date knowledge of their aircraft
performance ability, and of the immediate environment in which the aircraft is being
operated. In addition, the crew is the only agent that has control of the aircraft. In
today’s operational environment, the cockpit crew has very limited information about
weather or traffic conditions ahead of it, and therefore must rely on assistance from other
system agents for medium to long term flight planning. It is interesting to note, though,
that the cockpit crew must maintain a planning horizon, often shared with AOC, ranging
from the duration of the flight (hours) to immediate control action (seconds). In this sense
the crew has a unique responsibility among the agents listed above, and herein arises the
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