REDAC NAS Ops Spring 2014 Review

By: 	Gary Pokodner (WTIC Program Manager)	

Date:	March 12, 2014

Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC)

BLI A12.d

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WTIC Program Overview
        - WTIC is an FAA NextGen program that consists of a portfolio of research projects related to weather information and technology in the cockpit
        - WTIC research is used to:

Develop, verify, and validate requirements for standards related to weather information and technology in the cockpit

Identify requirements that improve the quality and quantity of meteorological (MET) information in the cockpit

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What are the WTIC Program Objectives? 

Enhance General Aviation (GA) safety by identifying and resolving risks before they become accidents and close NTSB weather related safety recommendations (38 currently open)

Enable safe implementation of NextGen Operational Improvements (OIs) and advanced concepts

Resolve operational (current and NextGen) inefficiencies attributable to gaps in cockpit MET information

Enhance pilot MET-training to enable effective and consistent adverse weather decision making

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WTIC Research Tasks - GA

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        - Identify causal factors for GA Wx-related accident rate
        - Identify shortfalls in pilot understanding and proper use of MET information, and pilot training to resolve those shortfalls
        - Recommend minimum weather service for Part 91 aircraft to enable consistent and effective pilot decision making relative to adverse weather 
        - Minimum cockpit MET information needed
        - Minimum accuracy, latency,  and availability of cockpit MET information
        - Minimum information rendering standards needed to enable correct and consistent interpretation
        - Determine GA willingness to spend on aircraft equipage and services to enable proper implementation and use of the minimum weather service   

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WTIC Research Tasks – Part 121/135

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        - Identify current and NextGen operational inefficiencies attributable to shortfalls of MET information in the cockpit
        - Recommend a minimum weather service for Parts135/121 to achieve WTIC Program objectives  
        - Minimum cockpit MET information
        - Minimum accuracy, latency, availability of cockpit MET information
        - Minimum information rendering standards needed to enable correct and consistent interpretation

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WTIC Program Potential Benefits
        - Consistent and effective adverse weather decision making by pilots
        - Reduced GA safety risks
        - Enhanced crew management of turbulence encounters  
        - Improved pilot MET-training 
        - Enhanced NAS efficiency and capacity
        - Efficient turbulence avoidance based on objective turbulence information
        - Enhanced decision making in oceanic and remote regions
        - Reduction in short-term deviation requests from pilots
        - Consistent NextGen operations (e.g. Optimized Profile Descents) in adverse wind conditions
        - Reduction in deviations from Flight Management System (FMS) computed flight plans due to enhanced MET information inputs
        - Effective implementation of advanced flight deck based interval management (FIM)

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Open NAS Ops Recommendations for WTIC

Open recommendations from Spring 2013 and Fall 2013 

Use OWNA effort to assess potential utility of WTIC research products for use in the NextGen NSIP Alpha and Bravo

Provide quantitative estimates for GA safety benefits achievable with WTIC research results

All other recommendations successfully closed

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FAA Response to Open NAS Ops Recommendation 1

At the Spring 2014 meeting the FAA will provide:
        - An initial set of weather research requirements (AWRP and WTIC) derived from OWNA, the WTIC ConOps, and the 2013 MITRE WTIC linkage analysis (MITRE briefing)
        - Results of 2013 MITRE analysis which prioritized WTIC linkage to NSIP and NextGen Mid-Term ConOps (included in this briefing) 

MITRE report for WTIC is comparable and complimentary to OWNA

MITRE WTIC report results and WTIC ConOps to be input to OWNA per NAS Ops Recommendation

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Response - MITRE Report Details
        - MITRE Analysis Results documented in report: Aligning Data Link Weather Capabilities with NextGen, Oct 2013, by Elisabeth Kim
        - Sample charts from report in backup
        - MITRE TASK – Analyze existing NextGen documentation for linkages to capabilities associated with WTIC
        - Analyze links between WTIC and NextGen vision
        - Analyze links between WTIC and NextGen Operational Improvements
        - Provide a priority rating based on WTIC role to enable the linked element

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Response – Use of MITRE Report
        - MITRE analysis results used as inputs to WTIC ConOps development
        - Develop scenarios based on pilot perspective
        - Identify shortfalls and areas for research
        - Functional Analysis will be performed on WTIC ConOps to develop high level requirements and associated WTIC research requirements
        - Recommended research requirements submitted to NextGen office for concurrence or reprioritization
        - Per REDAC Recommendation the results, along with relevant ConOps sections, will be input to OWNA

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Example WTIC ConOps Excerpt

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| Procedure (Pilot Perspective)                     | Shortfall Overview                                 | WTIC Program (DLW) Support                                                          |
|---------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Wake Turbulence Mitigation for Departures (WTMD)  | Wind / position data in wake applications          | Enhanced departure profile winds with associated position information(RTCA SC-206)  |
| Closely Spaced Parallel Runway operations         | Wind / position in cockpit applications / avionics | Enhanced departure profile winds with associated position information               |
| Flight Information Services – Broadcast (FIS-B)   | Equipment standards outpaced by information        | Avionics Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) development (RTCA SC-206) |
| In-Situ Weather Downlink                          | Airborne based MET information in applications     | Minimum Interoperability Standard (MIS) development (RTCA SC-206)                   |
| Collaborative Decision Making (CDM)               | Ground Centric Decision Making                     | CDM to reduce weather impacts                                                       |
| Reduce Impact of Weather                          | Automated Weather Dissemination                    | Enhanced clear air turbulence avoidance                                             |

Recommendation 1 Response - Summary
        - MITRE study identified WTIC links to OIs and MidTerm ConOps with a priority rating
        - Links used as inputs to develop WTIC ConOps scenarios from pilot perspective
        - Functional Analysis to be performed on ConOps to develop high level requirements
        - WTIC minimum weather service benefits NextGen by  resolving adverse weather performance gaps
        - NextGen operations (e.g. Advanced FIM, D-RNP) will quantify WTIC benefits

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FAA Response to Open NAS Ops Recommendation 2

At the Spring 2014 meeting the FAA will provide:
        - Briefing on the quantitative assessment of potential GA safety benefits of the WTIC Program research

NOTE: A dedicated briefing is scheduled for the NAS Ops so this briefing does not contain any details on the quantitative assessment

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FY16 – Planned Research
        - Continue research tasks of performing gap analyses and developing gap resolutions for incorporation into minimum weather service recommendations
        - FY16 planned research efforts are contingent on FY14 and FY15 research results
        - Planning based on anticipated FY16 funding to be approximately $3.5M

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FY16 – Planned Research
        - GA Gap Analysis and Minimum Weather Service
        - Verification of recommended rendering standards/guidance
        - Finalize initial recommendations for information content, accuracy, latency, and availability
        - Finalize recommendations to optimize current MET products and information (e.g., METARs, SIGMETs, TAFs, etc)
        - Part 121/135 Gap Analyses
        - Assess pilot role in selected NextGen operations and far term concepts
        - Perform gap analysis of cockpit MET technology to support NextGen operations
        - Perform research derived from gaps to meet high level requirements developed from functional analysis

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FY16 – Planned Research
        - Part 121/135 Minimum Weather Service
        - Verification of oceanic and remote regions recommendations
        - Assess latency, accuracy, and availability requirements of minimum weather service information to enable direct integration into decision support tools
        - Verification of weather alerting functions
        - Development of rendering design parameters for selected information content

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Examples

WTIC –  Examples of Gaps 
        - Industry Perspective
        - Commercial airline flying props indicated a gap for their operations with weather radar not providing a 360 degree field of view
        - WTIC Conops 
        - Gap in turbulence information to enable flight crew management to prevent injuries (NTSB – turbulence highest cause of serious injuries)
        - Collaboration within FAA and with industry
        - Perceptions that Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) is over-forecast per AOPA
        - Sparse access to weather information in remote and oceanic regions
        - Eddy Dissipation Rate (Delta report)
        - Potentially 20% to 30% of flights deviate from optimum altitude due to light turbulence 

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WTIC Wind Study Project Review Example of Benefits Provided
        - Slide 20 – Provides details on WTIC Wind Study research into a shortfall identified during flight trials
        -  Slide 21 lists benefits of this research

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WTIC Wind Study – Selected Task 
        - Shortfall Identified by TBO – Flight trials of time-based control found that FMS trajectory predictions were unreliable in strong winds
        - Wind Study Analysis Results
        - Identified gap that current FMS wind blending degrades FMS performance in certain conditions in the local area 
        - Measured winds more heavily weighted for closer distances
        - In adverse winds, such as shears, forecast can be better
        - Assessing potential-FMS-enhancements to resolve gap
        - Industry had no business case to research solution to shortfall
        - Project determining total wind accuracy requirements (ground, aircraft, FMS) to achieve planned performance   

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Benefits Provided by WTIC Wind Study Selected Task
        - Identified gap in FMS blending algorithm linked to shortfall in multiple NextGen concepts/operations (e.g. Advanced FIM and time of arrival)
        - Assessment of industry capabilities to improve FMS wind accuracy algorithms (reduce accuracy requirements for data linked winds in minimum weather service)  
        - Industry readiness to support NextGen operations enhanced
        - Providing recommended total wind accuracy (ground, aircraft, FMS) requirements (in minimum weather service) to enable impacted NextGen operations to meet planned performance
        - Recommending wind sources to implement WTIC-recommended wind accuracy requirements   

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Backup Slides

Response - MITRE Report Details
        - Slide 23: Graphical representation of analysis process performed by MITRE to align and prioritize WTIC minimum weather service elements (referred to as DLW elements on graphics) with NextGen MidTerm ConOps and Operational Improvements (OIs)
        - Slide 24: Overview slide from MITRE report showing WTIC (DLW) Elements and their rating (D – demanded, I – Improve)
        - Demanded means NextGen service needs WTIC capability to achieve required performance
        - Improve means WTIC capabilities can enhance the NextGen service
        - Slide 25: Sample report overview table listing benefits provided by each WTIC “D” or “I” capability from Slide 12 and brief details about the specific WTIC linked capability
        - Slide 26: Summary table of Operational Improvement links to WTIC and a rating of link (Strongly Related or Related)

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Response - MITRE Report Details

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Response - MITRE Report Details

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Response - MITRE Report Details

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Response - MITRE Report Details

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