SAE Standard Helps Eliminate Landing Delays for Aircraft

April 19, 2006

The SAE International standard Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) 5628 – Final Approach Spacing System, works to eliminate delays by reducing the excess spacing buffers currently use by Air Traffic Control (ATC) when separating aircraft, by reducing the uncertainty in relative airplane positions. This reduction requires the use of more accurate means of controlling the spacing intervals between arriving aircraft.

Developed by NASA, the technology is a device that fits into the cockpit of an aircraft and is used during landing procedures. Essentially, the device in one aircraft receives data from the aircraft that is landing ahead of it. The device determines the speed of the leading plane and calculates how long it will take to touch down. It then adjusts the speed of the second aircraft to land precisely at an arrival interval provided by ATC, thus reducing the arrival dispersion and allowing more aircraft to land over a period of time.

"These saved seconds will reduce the number of delays in our busiest airports," said Terry Abbott, a research engineer working at the NASA Langley Research Center, and ARP5628 sponsor.

ARP5628 covers the usability of the NASA technology and explains how it best operates in the cockpit. The standard was written and created by SAE International's S-7 Flight Deck and Handling Qualities Standards for Transport Vehicle Committee.

Source: SAE International.