SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AEROSPACE REPORTS

A Biweekly Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
VOLUME 44, ISSUE 6 - March 24, 2006

04 AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS AND NAVIGATION
Includes all modes of communication with and between aircraft; air navigation systems (satellite and ground based); and air traffic control.

For related information see also 06 Avionics and Aircraft Instrumentation; 17 Space Communications, Spacecraft Communications, Command and Tracking; and 32 Communications and Radar.

20060008130 Stanford Univ., CA, USA

Use of GNSS to Enhance Airport Capacity

Powell, J. David; International Conference on Advances in the Internet, Processing, Systems and Interdisciplinary Research (IPSI-2005 FRANCE); [2005]; 9 pp.; In English; See also 20060008121; Original contains color and black and white illustrations; Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A02, Hardcopy; Available from CASI on CD-ROM only as part of the entire parent document

As the growth in air travel continues over the coming decades, there will need to be increases in the capacity of the airspace system, especially airports. Technology associated with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), along with changes in procedures between air traffic controllers and pilots, has the capability to provide much of the required growth without sacrificing safety and without requiring wholesale expansions of airport land areas. The use of GNSS to augment radar surveillance through Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) provides a substantial improvement in surveillance accuracy and provides every pilot with information on neighboring traffic, information that does not exist now. Wake vortex turbulence of neighboring traffic is one of the limiting factors on parallel runway spacing and the in-trail spacing of aircraft. This paper shows how the impact of wake turbulence can be substantially reduced by the use of ADS-B and appropriate displays. The paper presents results of analyses, pilot simulations, and flight-testing that show the required runway spacing can be reduced from the current 4300 ft. (1400 m) to 750 ft. (250 m), thus substantially improving landing capacity while minimizing cost and the effect on the environment. Author

Navigation Satellites; Satellite Navigation Systems; Surveillance; Aircraft Approach Spacing; Air Traffic Controllers (Personnel); Airspace

Source: NASA