Federal Aviation

Administration

Office of Environment and 

Energy’s (AEE) 

Air Traffic Management 

Modernization / Operations 

Research Program Update

Presented to:

By:

Date:

REDAC E&E Subcommittee

Julie Marks and Chris Dorbian (AEE-400)

August 26, 2014
Federal Aviation

Administration

Air Traffic Management Modernizations (ATMM) Offer 

Important Potential E&E Improvements

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AEE E&E ATMM Research Program Goals

1. Identify and accelerate the implementation of air traffic management concepts

that will reduce aviation environmental impacts and/or improve energy

efficiency

2. Investigate the E&E effects of operational changes implemented by the FAA.

Core Program Elements

• Research Process: Identifies, conducts, evaluates and transitions ATMM 

research for implementation

• Roadmap: Describes areas for ATMM Research near, medium, and long term. 

• Portfolio Metrics: Assesses the portfolio’s balance with regard to addressing 

E&E issues and the maturity progression of research project.
Federal Aviation

Administration

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Drivers of Research

1) Support AEE Vision and E&E goals

2) External pressures:

– ANG-2 (NextGen Chief Scientist) direction:

• Will be difficult to fund concepts that don’t have a near-term 

path to implementation

• New operational concepts need to be either beneficial or 

neutral in terms of noise

– General prominence of noise issues

– Inconsistent/unpredictable funding, e.g., anticipated 

FY15 F&E funding cut expected to significantly 

reduce ops research budget

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Federal Aviation

Administration

How are we aligning AEE Ops Research 

Program to conform to these pressures?

1) Maturing promising near-term operational mitigations 

with the goal of transitioning to appropriate 

implementing organization (e.g., ATO, ANG)

2) Noise focus

– Noise-beneficial concepts

– Enhancing noise analysis/modeling of operational concepts

3) Developing improved environmental analysis 

capability

– Tools and processes

– UAS

4) Continuing and enhancing collaboration (within FAA 

and with external stakeholders)

5) Annual Roadmap assessment

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Maturing Promising Concepts

• Advance concept maturity to demonstrate 

environmental/operational benefits and identify potential 

implementation strategy

• Work collaboratively with implementing organization (e.g., 

ATO, ANG) with the goal of integration into NAS

• Concepts adequately funded in FY14 to minimize dependency 

on FY15 funding

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Project FY14 Funding

Cruise Alt. and Speed Optimization (CASO) / 

Delayed Deceleration Approach (DDA)

$1M

N-Control $170K

Optimized Profile Climb (OPC) $150K
Federal Aviation

Administration

Maturing Promising Concepts

• Benefits fairly well-understood; critical path now is stakeholder collaboration and 

understanding operational barriers, implementation strategy

• Opportunities with Delta, OSU/NetJets

• Integration into NextGen concepts, e.g., RNAV speed targets

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Distance to touchdown

Airspeed

Typical

Conventional

Terminal area

entry speed

Final approach

speed

Sample flap 1

Sample flap 2

Runway

Delayed Decel.

=> Low Power/

Low Drag

CASO DDA

Typical 

Operating 

Regime

(fast, 

off-optimal 

alt)

Optimal 

Mach/Alt
Federal Aviation

Administration

Maturing Promising Concepts

• Focused on LGA demo and Surface Office 

coordination

• Complementary to NextGen Integration 

Working Group recommendation

• Refining benefits estimates

• Identifying barriers and targeted 

opportunities

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N-Control OPC
Federal Aviation

Administration

Noise Focus

• Noise-beneficial concepts:

• Enhanced analysis/modeling capabilities

– ASCENT project focused on quantifying noise 

impacts of advanced operational procedures

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Project Noise Impact Research Approach

DDA Potential benefit from staying 

in “clean” configuration

Exploring noise 

measurement

OPC Potential benefit from steeper 

profile

Exploring alternative 

metrics/modeling

Steeper glide slope Potential benefit from steeper 

approach profile

Possible NAS-wide analysis

(not currently funded)
Federal Aviation

Administration

Improved Environmental Analysis 

Capability

• Goal is to perform operations analysis that 

informs decision-making

• PBN Procedures Analysis objectives:

– Evaluate E&E impact of PBN procedures

– Develop generalized approach using AEDT to assess 

PBN procedures

– Assess noise and emissions trade-offs associated with 

Noise Abatement Departure Procedures (NADPs) and 

explore operationally viable alternatives

• In addition to E&E assessments, analysis has 

resulted in development of tools/processes for 

advanced operations analyses with AEDT

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Example NADP Analysis – LAX

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Example NADP Analysis – LAX

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Example NADP Analysis – LAX

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Preliminary results; do not cite or quote
Federal Aviation

Administration

Improved Environmental Analysis Capability

Modeling Potential E&E Benefits/Impacts of UAS in the NAS

• On-going coordination with: 

• Preliminary Findings on UAS Customization and Substitution in AEDT

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• FAA UAS Integration Office

• Volpe

• TRB/ACRP

• NASA

• DoD

Preliminary results; do not cite or quote
Federal Aviation

Administration

Summary

• AEE Ops Research program is positioned to 

respond to external pressures now and in the 

future:

1) Maturing promising mitigations

• CASO, DDA, N-Control, OPC

2) Addressing noise impacts

• Noise-mitigating concepts

• Enhanced noise modeling/analysis of operational concepts

3) Improved environmental analysis capability

• Procedure assessment

• UAS

4) Collaboration

5) Annual Roadmap assessment

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