# Presentation: 860250

## Turbulence Assessment and Monitoring System (TAMS)

- Ellen Bass
- Search Technology, Inc.
- 4960 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Suite 230
- Norcross, GA  30071-1580
- 770-441-1457
- ellen@searchtech.com

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## The “Costs” of Turbulence

- Upsets
- Injuries (especially flight attendants)
- Increased operating costs
- Lower revenues

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Problems with Current Turbulence Reporting System

- Forecasts are not precise
- Definitions used by pilots for turbulence reporting are not precise
- Reports are not aircraft specific
- Occupant reaction is subjective

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Goals

- Determine standardized, objective way to measure turbulence
- Design a pilot-centered system
- Consider the business case

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Major Participants

- Search Technology, Inc.
- NASA (Technical Monitor: Bob Stuever)
- Delta Air Lines
- Aerotech Research
- National Center for Atmospheric Research

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## What Pilots Want To Know!

- (Based on survey of 270+ major, regional, and foreign commercial airline jet pilots)
- Current turbulence level
- Peak turbulence over the last 5 minutes
- Level
- Frequency
- Occasional - O 	0 - 1/3 of the time
- Intermittent - I	1/3 - 2/3 of the time
- Continuous - C	> 2/3 of the time

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Turbulence Metric

- Tailor the meaning for each aircraft type!

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Example

- 2/O4
- 	Current turbulence is 2
- 	Peak level over the past 5 minutes is 4
- 	Peak frequency is occasional
- 		< 1/3 of the time, the level has been at 4

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Short and Long Term Strategy

- Ownship display
- Mostly software
- Verbal PIREPs with TAMS values  + ...
- Mostly software
- Traffic Turbulence Display (40 miles) + ...
-  Software plus communication capability
- Traffic Turbulence Display (120 miles) + ...
- Software plus improved communication infrastructure

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Simulator Experiment

- Level D full motion simulator
- 16 commercial airline pilots
- 5 experimental treatments (baseline plus 4 “strategies”
- 8 scenarios

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## 8 Scenarios

- Pilot reports:
- Same as participant aircraft
- Over/under-reporting
- 4 atmospheric conditions:
- All light
- Prepare cabin
- Smooth above
- Smooth below

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Smooth Above Scenario Example

**Smooth Above Scenario Example**

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Dependent Variables

- Workload (ride report communications)
- Decision times
- Decision quality
- Flight attendant/passenger safety
- Passenger comfort
- Flight planning decisions with respect to economy

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Average Radio Communication Time 

- Time to obtain pilot reports reduced significantly with 120-mile Traffic Turbulence Display

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Time to Make Decision After Turbulence Onset

- Reduction in decision times in the Traffic Turbulence Display-aided conditions

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Quality of decisions

- TAMS-aided turbulence reporting provided significantly better passenger comfort and flight attendant safety than light/moderate/severe (LMS) convention
- Traffic Turbulence Display enhanced flight plan decision making with respect to economy

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00

## Anticipated Benefits from TAMS

- Improved operational safety through improving pilot situation awareness of turbulence location and severity
- Improved customer satisfaction of flight experience by reducing exposure to turbulence
- Improving operational efficiencies and profitability by allowing pilots to optimize flight path decisions in areas of turbulence

- Search Technology, Inc.

- 5/25/00