AAtS for General Aviation

摘要

The topic of Next Generation (NextGen) air transportation covers the benefits that NextGen offers to the commercial airlines. Required Navigational Performance, Optimized Profile Descents, etc. can provide significant cost benefits to airline operators, and provide air traffic control with more options to increase traffic flow at major airports. What is not often discussed is how the technology developments that serve NextGen can also be utilized by the various general aviation user segments. Recent developments in portable and flight deck-mounted tablet devices have created opportunities to streamline communications between pilot and Air Traffic Control (ATC), and to enhance subscriber services that provide database updates including baseline data, aeronautical updates including Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) and Meteorological (MET) data, and other services that can provide the flight deck with up-to-date information required to safely complete a flight. Data links such as the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) can assist with the initial negotiation of clearances, as well as provide real-time updates to the aircraft before the aircraft departs the airport, and can assist with taxi instructions upon arrival. Extending data link services to uncontrolled airports can provide connectivity to ATC, allowing the receipt of an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance, and the possible elimination of the clearance void time. Providing the flight deck with a departure clearance from an uncontrolled airport through data link services eliminates the uncertain time between take-off to the time that positive ATC control is established. This uncertain time is currently governed by the current method of using clearance valid / void times. Elimination of the clearance void time frees up airspace surrounding an uncontrolled airport since ATC has more positive control and surveillance of departing aircraft and increases positive air traffic control to notionally uncontrolled airports. Data link could also be utilized to close an IFR flight plan upon arrival at these same uncontrolled airports, again freeing up the approach for following aircraft and increasing traffic flow to an uncontrolled field. Portable electronic tablet computing devices can provide capabilities similar to those hosted on certified electronic avionics. Given the appropriate polices, Apple iPads and other similar tablet computers carried onboard light general aviation (GA) aircraft can extend NextGen capabilities at low cost, especially to legacy aircraft, thereby reducing aircraft equipage costs to utilize NextGen services. The versatility of modern personal computing devices have made them popular, affordable choices across all classes of aircraft allowing all aircraft, regardless of onboard installed system equipage, can take advantage of NextGen features. The term Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) used within this paper refers to the device that pilots can use to access AIS and METdata.