NextGen CNS TEST BED Solutions to Advance the National Airspace System

The management of the 4D trajectories of an aircraft's entire flight path from gate-to-gate can provide significant air travel efficiency gains including reduced fuel use, noise, emissions, and flight times. Accomplishing this goal requires largely automated real time negotiation of flight path changes between aircrafts in flight and ground control. Sensis, the FAA and NASA will be partnering with Cleveland based airlines and transport class avionics vendors to develop the ground and airside automation and pilot-controller displays that will enable this next generation advancement. The NextGen CNS Test Bed will focus on a series of application experiments using actual aircraft and simulated aircraft to investigate automation and communications requirements, content and frequency of flight management system updates, how best to maintain humans in the process and other key elements.

The first application conducted will be to provide the means for planning and flying 4D departure trajectories that more optimally merge into the en route traffic flow. This involves using the flight management system (FMS) and ground 4D departure trajectory prediction capability and automation of communications between the pilot, tower controller and en route center traffic management coordinator.