Fall 2019 REDAC

Subcommittee: NAS Operations

DFO Name: Philip Yeung

Note: The Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST), Budget Line A.11N did not present inperson or provide a briefing deck.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Finding: Need for a Continuing Capability Utilization Evaluation Program

With the growing complexity and inter-relationships between automation systems (e.g., TBFM, 

TSAS, TFDM, STARS, ERAM) and new procedures and capabilities (e.g., Performance Based 

Navigation, Initial Trajectory Based Operations) it is becoming increasingly important to monitor the 

use of these systems to ensure their envisioned benefits are being realized. Gathering data on 

capability utilization is critical to validate assumptions made during system development, identify 

operational, safety, efficiency, and user training challenges, and inform future research priorities. 

This will become especially important as future capabilities increasingly rely on AI / machine 

learning-based systems that need to be periodically retrained due to changing operational 

conditions, data inputs, or other variables. The ATC / Technical Operations Human Factors portfolio 

(A11.h) includes this type of activity, but it is extremely limited in scope relative to the broad range 

of new capabilities being fielded.

Recommendation: 

The FAA should establish a cross-cutting airspace services capability utilization monitoring program 

that collects data on existing and newly deployed automation systems and procedures. This 

program would include collecting data on overall system performance and benefits (e.g., are 

assumptions on delay reduction being realized; are optimal procedures being used during 

convective weather impacts; etc.) as well as more detailed human-use considerations (e.g., are 

training enhancements needed; are workload limits managed within appropriate boundaries). Data 

could be provided to ASIAS and other repositories for broader analysis and identification of airspace 

services safety risk trends. To ensure long-term continuity, a reliable funding stream and staffing 

levels need to be identified to maintain the effectiveness of this program.

Wake Turbulence

General Observation

During the Fall 2019 NAS Operations REDAC meeting, the subcommittee was briefed by the 

NextGen Wake Turbulence Program office on the FY2022 proposed portfolio for Budget Line A12.a. 

The Wake Turbulence programs objective is to safely increase capacity during peak demand 

periods. 
Finding: The role of wake hazard advisory technology in flight deck operations has not yet been 

considered in this BLI activity (which has been focused on controller tools). Additional paths of 

inquiry make sense to include in this domain of investigation. For example, by what means can the 

flight deck be informed about wake hazards, enroute as well as terminal? What are the appropriate 

pilot actions in the context of what Air Traffic Controllers see and know? How do atmospherics 

affect optimal flight deck wake avoidance guidance data/graphics, in particular, for business and 

general aviation operators. How can we use real-time data from the aircraft to provide physicsbased modeling of actual on-condition aircraft wake generation, decay, drift, and descent 

behaviors? 

Recommendation: 

We encourage the evaluation of the potential benefits of the wake hazard research program being 

applied to general aviation that could be extended to the flight decks for business as well as 

commercial aviation through the study of flight deck graphical wake avoidance advisories on mobile 

devices. In addition, the program office should develop a plan and strategy on how the enroute 

wake encounter data being gathered through ASRS and ASIAS are being leveraged and applied to 

inform the needed research as well as mitigation technologies and procedures.

Runway Incursion Reduction Program (RIRP)

General Observation

During the Fall 2019 NAS Operations REDAC meeting, the subcommittee was briefed by the Runway 

Incursion Reduction Program on the FY2022 proposed portfolio for Budget Line S09.02-00. The 

RIRP program’s objective is to reduce the risk to people and property caused by collisions in the 

runway environment. 

Finding: Projected RIRP research in FY20/21 emphasizes the development of technology transfer 

documentation, contract solicitation and award for capability developed under this program, for 

example the Small Airport Surveillance System (SASS) and Runway Incursion Prevention through 

Situational Awareness (RIPSA). The subcommittee commends the program office for taking steps 

to address runway incursion risks. However, when questioned on the associated acquisition 

concept, the RIRP program representative asserted that airport operating authorities would choose 

to procure the system in partnership with industry. It is not clear, however, how a critical mass of 

airport operators would come together to accomplish this, how they would effectively contract with 

industry to complete first article development, testing and acceptance, and what the ongoing role 

of the RIRP program would be. It is difficult for the subcommittee to assess the value of the 

recommended outyear RIRP program, given the vagueness of the acquisition concept.

Recommendation: The program office should develop a more detailed acquisition concept 

including a list of candidate airports, quantitative assessment of the safety or operational impact 

that deployment of the targeted technologies would achieve at these airports, and a notional 

process by which the program office would support these airports in the system development and 

acquisition process. This acquisition concept should be presented to the subcommittee at the 

spring 2020 meeting. Furthermore, the program office should develop a strategic plan on how the 
individual research elements within the program are integrated and address the runway incursion 

risk. In addition, the program office should develop a concept of operations on the integrated set 

of technologies and operations, as well as the actions all users of the NAS are to take on the 

information being displayed and/or provided to them. The program office should develop a set of 

metrics to measure the effectiveness of the technologies and proposed new operations as well as 

the application of the technologies and operations to specific events that lead to runway incursions.

Weather Technology in the Cockpit Program (WTIC)

General Observation

During the Fall 2019 NAS Operations REDAC meeting, the subcommittee was briefed by the 

NextGen Weather Technology in the Cockpit office on the FY2021 & 22 proposed portfolio for 

Budget Line A12.c. The WTIC program research enhances safety, efficiency and capacity impacts 

related to weather.

Finding: The introductory portions of the WTIC briefing to the subcommittee provided a solid list of 

stakeholders (Government, industry, academia, standards setting organizations) and metrics for 

program success. However, the process through which these foundational elements determine the 

particular projects that are being pursued currently, and planned for the outyears, is not clear. The 

particular research efforts briefed to the subcommittee seem disjoint and it is not clear how they 

contribute to the strategic goals of the program.

Recommendation: The WTIC program should develop an end-to-end strategic plan and brief this 

to the subcommittee at the spring 2020 meeting. This should augment the existing material on 

stakeholders and metrics with a clearer statement of desired program outcomes, a process for 

optimizing the research projects selected for funding to achieve these outcomes, and a stronger 

explanation of why the projects briefed to the subcommittee are important to this strategy.

Furthermore, the program should document the specific weather translation activities and 

probabilistic analysis to be able to clearly convey and set expectations for the users on the weather 

products for them to make informed decisions.

ACTION ITEMS

The NAS Operations Subcommittee appreciates the updates provided by the FAA briefing teams in 

the following topic, and requests this item be included in upcoming Subcommittee meetings:

1. Aviation R&D Landscapes: The subcommittee requests an example or trial use of the 

Landscapes framework. An example we have in mind is to apply the landscapes framework 

list of categories of “Drivers” as a checklist for an existing RE&D BLI program. The purpose is 

to evaluate the utility of using the framework as context for program managers to use in 

evaluation of broader creative thinking about the technologies affecting their programs.
DEEP DIVE BRIEFING REQUESTS

General Observation

During the Fall 2019 NAS Operations REDAC meeting the subcommittee requested a deep dive 

briefing on Commercial Space transportation. The subcommittee requests Commercial Space 

Transportation, BLI A11. regarding the methods in development for launch vehicle-to-aircraft 

trajectory separation management, its expected improvement in NAS operations, and deployment 

strategy. Commercial Space Transportation did not brief the NAS Ops-Subcommittee briefing nor

was any supporting briefing, documentation or response forwarded the sub-committee.

Once again, the NAS Ops-Sub Committee is requesting:

1. The Commercial Space Transportation, BLI A11.N provide a deep dive briefing regarding the 

methods in development for launch vehicle-to-aircraft trajectory separation management, 

its expected improvement in NAS operations, and deployment strategy. 

a. Update on Commercial space CONOPS.

b. How is the CST activity forecast informed? 

2. The subcommittee requests the ASSURE COE provide a deep dive briefing regarding their 

research on UAS safety assessment and integration into the NAS. Given the high demand by 

the UAS user community on the FAA, it is critical to understand the level of integration and 

cross dependency between the UAS research, IPP, UPP, and ASSURE COE and how they 

collective address the UAS research needs.

Dates for the next two meeting:

March 24 & 25 - Spring 2020

Sept 1 & 2 - Fall 2020