Publications
Sector workload model for benefits analysis and convective weather capacity prediction
Summary
Summary
En route sector capacity is determined mainly by controller workload. The operational capacity model used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides traffic alert thresholds based entirely on hand-off workload. Its estimates are accurate for most sectors. However, it tends to over-estimate capacity in both small and large sectors because...
Optimized airborne collision avoidance in mixed equipage environments
Summary
Summary
Developing robust collision avoidance logic that reliably prevents collision without excessive alerting is challenging due to sensor error and uncertainty in the future paths of the aircraft. Over the past few years, research has focused on the use of a computational method known as dynamic programming for producing an optimized...
Risk-based modeling to support NextGen concept assessment and validation
Summary
Summary
This report provides a brief review of major risk-based modeling (RBM) approaches, with particular emphasis on how these tools can be applied during initial Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) concept development and how their use can be validated. Effective safety analysis should play a role even during a new...
Measurements of the 1030 and 1090 MHz environments at JFK International Airport
Summary
Summary
Measurements of signals in the 1030 and 1090 MHz frequency bands have been made by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the last several years, previously in the Boston area and most recently in April 2011, at JFK International Airport near New York City. This JFK measurement activity was performed as a...
Multifunction phased array radar (MPAR) spectral usage analysis
Summary
Summary
This report addressed two technical risks associated with replacing current air traffic and weather surveillance radars with a single type of multifunction phased array radar (MPAR). The first risk is whether radio spectrum usage would increase with the MPAR network and whether the allocated band will have enough spectral space...
A safety driven approach to the development of an airborne sense and avoid system
Summary
Summary
Sense and avoid is the primary technical barrier to increased unmanned aircraft system airspace access. A safety assessment driven approach to sense and avoid system design and requirements validation is being employed to ensure safety and operational suitability. The foundation of this approach is a fast-time modeling and simulation architecture...
Next-generation airborne collision avoidance system
Summary
Summary
In response to a series of midair collisions involving commercial airliners, Lincoln Laboratory was directed by the Federal Aviation Administration in the 1970s to participate in the development of an onboard collision avoidance system. In its current manifestation, the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System is mandated worldwide on all...
Hazard alerting based on probabilistic models
Summary
Summary
Hazard alerting systems alert operators to potential future undesirable events so that action may be taken to mitigate risk. One way to develop a hazard alerting system based on probabilistic models is by using a threshold-based approach, where the probability of the undesirable event without mitigation is compared against a...
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Field Demonstration #2: Final Report for Staffed NextGen Tower (SNT)
Summary
Summary
Staffed NextGen Towers (SNT), a research concept being developed and validated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is a paradigm shift to providing air traffic control services primarily via surface surveillance approved for operational use by controllers instead of the existing out-the-window (OTW) view at high-density airports. SNT was exercised...
A new approach for designing safer collision avoidance systems
Summary
Summary
The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System significantly reduces the risk of mid-air collision and is mandated worldwide on transport aircraft. Engineering the avoidance logic was costly and spanned decades. The development followed an iterative process where the logic was specified using pseudocode, evaluated in simulation, and revised based on...