AIRSPACE OPERATIONS 

AND SAFETY PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

ASP Transforms Into AOSP

With the passage by Congress in December of the federal budget, the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) has undergone an organizational shift, transforming the Airspace Systems Program (ASP) into 

the Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP). As part of the reorganization, elements of the former 

Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) have been integrated within AOSP to forge a new direction for NASA’s air 

traffic management research. 

This new direction aligns with the ARMD strategic vision that focuses on three mega-drivers expected to 

shape aeronautics research over the coming decades: 

 Global growth in demand for high-speed mobility;

 Global climate issues, sustainability and energy transition; and

 Technology convergence.

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To meet these challenges, AOSP and our partners will focus on providing safe and efficient global growth that 

incorporates real-time system-wide safety assurance with an eye towards the future, beyond the Next Generation Air Transportation System, and the benefits available through increasing automation and the maturation of system autonomy.

 In This Issue: 

AOSP In The News P. 2

Technical/Programmatic Highlights P. 3

Awards, Papers & Appointments P. 15

FY 2015 Quarter 1: October - —December 2014
// AOSP in the News

NASA Technology Provides Navigation Aids to Remote Alaska Pilots 

In an October 8 article, the Ketchikan, Alaska SitNews reports the delivery to Alaskan officials of new NASA 

AOSP technology known as Traffic and Atmospheric Information for General Aviation (TAIGA). The article 

notes that the technology is a “collection of algorithms, concepts and data [and ... the] “result of a joint effort 

between NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California and the State of Alaska.” According to SitNews, TAIGA will help Alaskan pilots “make better flight decisions” when they are “disconnected from vital 

navigation aids and communication” due to the state’s “mountainous terrain and extreme weather events.” 

The next step for the TAIGA concept will be for state engineers “to take the NASA concept and develop it to 

an app that meets the specific needs of Alaskan pilots.”

Dynamic Weather Routes Tool Helping Airlines Save Time And Fuel

On October 16, the Indo-Asian News Service reported that the NASA AOSP Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR) 

tool is “help[ing] airlines minimize weather delays and save both flight time and fuel.” Quoted in the article, 

David McNally, DWR lead engineer at NASA Ames Research Center said, “The analysis of the DWR test data 

indicates there was an estimated savings of 3,355 flying minutes for 538 American Airlines flights from July 

2012 through September 2014, or about 6.2 minutes per flight on average.” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden added, “This DWR tool, developed and tested by NASA in partnership with American Airlines and the FAA 

[Federal Aviation Administration], is going to benefit everyone who flies.”

DWR in use at American Airlines Integrated Operations 
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// Technical and Programmatic Highlights

Initial EDA Capability Goes Live at Albuquerque 

Center

Technology based on NASA's Efficient Descent Advisor (EDA) was 

declared operational at Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center on September 22. The automation, referred to as Ground 

Based Interval Management for Spacing (GIM-S) by the Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA), provides controllers with speed advisories for accurately delivering aircraft to arrival metering fixes. 

The targeted metering times are computed by the FAA's Time 

Based Flow Management (TBFM) scheduler, which is based on 

previous NASA research and development. 

Using speed advisories coupled with extended metering capabilities, controllers can condition arrival flows to balance demand and 

capacity, and facilitate optimal profile descents up to 600 miles 

from the destination airport. Initial reports from the field indicate 

that controllers are very receptive to the speed advisory automation, and have seen smoother westbound traffic flows into Phoenix as a result of its use. Efforts are already underway within the 

FAA to examine the potential for expanding the GIM-S deployment 

to additional en route centers, including Oakland, Los Angeles and 

Denver. 

GIM-S represents the first phase in the deployment of EDA, which 

was developed through a joint government/industry research 

transition activity that concluded in 2012 with technology transfer 

to the FAA. Additional EDA capabilities, which include path stretching for metering conformance along with automated conflict detection and avoidance, are expected to be added in future deploy

ment packages under the FAA's TBFM program.

Provisional Patent Filed 

for NAS-based Airborne 

Rerouting Technology

The National Airspace System 

(NAS) Constraint Evaluation and 

Notification (NASCENT) software 

that implemented NASA's Dynamic Weather Routing (DWR) 

tool algorithm with a few novel 

techniques has extended DWR 

reroute advisories to the national 

airspace system. DWR automation provides time- and fuelsaving avoidance reroutes during 

significant convective weather 

activity for a single air traffic control center. The technology for 

NASCENT was filed as a provisional patent (#ARC-17419-1); 

currently, there is one prospective industry partner interested 

in commercialization. 

EDA is used to synchronize the descents of all arrival aircraft thereby mini- (POC: Dr. Kapil Sheth)

mizing fuel consumption, environmental emissions, and noise pollution

PDRC in use by employee in tower
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NASA Langley Welcomes the FAA’s Robert Joslin

On September 29-30, Robert “Buck” Joslin, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) chief scientist and technical advisor (CTSA) for flight deck technology integration, visited NASA’s Langley Research Center for briefings 

and hands-on demonstrations of emerging technologies. In a NASA Langley simulator, Dr. Joslin was able to “fly” 

prototype vision-systems technologies that might enable safe approach, landing and departure operations down 

to 300 feet during runway visual range conditions. Dr. Joslin also “flew” a demonstration of a head worn display 

and associated head tracking technologies currently under development. 

Dr. Joslin was given a tour and briefings of the Langley Air Traffic Operations Laboratory and the latest flight 

deck interval management research occurring at the Center. Dr. Joslin expressed his appreciation for these 

demonstrations, and particularly the interactions during a follow-on question-and-answer session. He expressed his belief that hands-on interaction is critical to understanding emerging technologies and the role that 

they may play in the national airspace. 

As a CSTA, Dr. Joslin is integrally involved with the FAA’s Aviation Safety Organization, and assists in advancing, 

certifying and regulating aerospace technology and in developing industry standards and FAA policies. 

(POC: Stella Harrison)

TAIGA Technology Transferred to the State of Alaska

On October 6 NASA officially delivered the Traffic and Atmospheric Information for General Aviation (TAIGA) 

technology to the State of Alaska. TAIGA, a collection of algorithms, concepts and data, is the result of a joint 

effort between NASA’s Ames Research Center and the State of Alaska. TAIGA - which relies on a satellite-based 

communication method whereby regional data is sent only to a specific geographical location, with the 

customized data sets downloaded quickly and plugged into a mobile application - is designed to help pilots 

make better flight decisions, especially when typical sources of in flight information such as the Internet and 

traditional telephony are not available. 

NASA has also developed a conceptual mobile software version of TAIGA that includes full 3 D terrain visualization. TAIGA algorithms, concepts and data are available as an open source project for further development by 

industry and the aviation community into an end-user system. In a recent test at NASA Ames, data from a 

satellite-based messaging system was successfully received on the satellite receiver and viewed on the concept 

version of the TAIGA mobile app while in flight. Since sending data via satellite can be expensive, NASA has 

developed a method for tightly bundling the data to be transmitted, thereby decreasing the normal cost of 

satellite data transmission. (POC: Joseph Rios) 
Meeting with Dean of 

Engineering, University 

of Texas at Arlington

Jim Crites, executive vice president of operations at Dallas/

Fort Worth International Airport, arranged a meeting on 

October 14 between Dr. 

Khosrow Behbehani, Dean of 

the College of Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington 

(UTA), and personnel from the 

NASA North Texas Research 

Station (NTX). His goal was to 

introduce Dr. Behbehani to 

NTX, enabling possible future 

collaboration. NASA personnel 

presented an overview of the 

research station, collaborations 

with local Federal Aviation Administration personnel and 

commercial airline facilities, and 

summarized earlier collaborative projects with the university. 

Possible areas for future collaboration with NASA include automation and unmanned aerial 

systems research. 

(POC: Paul Borchers) 

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NASA Hosts RTCA Special Committee-186 and EUROCAE Working Group-51 

On October 6-9, engineers from NASA Langley Research Center hosted 

50 people as part of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics 

(RTCA) Special Committee 186 Working Group 4 and the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) Working Group 51 

Subcommittee 3 meeting at the National Institute of Aerospace in 

Hampton, Virginia. These committees are responsible for developing 

minimum operational performance standards (i.e., avionics standards) 

for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS B) applications. 

The meeting focused on resolving comments on the standards for the 

Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM) System. For the past decade, 

NASA has been developing and maturing FIM concepts and technologies under the aegis of the Airspace Systems Program. During the 

meeting, NASA Langley engineer Dr. Kara Latorella presented results of 

a recent study on cockpit annunciations to support FIM. Working 

meetings were also held on pair-wise trajectory management, a NASA

developed oceanic-separation concept now being matured and tested 

by the Airspace Operations and Safety Program, and verified by secondgeneration FIM applications. 

The work of both committees is essential in enabling the Federal Aviation Administration’s vision of the Next Generation Air Transportation 

System, or NextGen, and Europe’s Single European Sky initiative, known 

as SESAR. On October 10, committee m embers r eceived demonstrations of the first Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration (ATD-1) technologies, which includes FIM, and pair-wise trajectory 

management in Langley’s Air Traffic Operations Lab oratory and the 

Cockpit Motion Facility. 

(POC: Bryan Barmore)

UTA School of Engineering
Singapore-Based ATMRI Representatives Meet with NASA

On October 23, Airspace Operations and Safety Program researchers at NASA Ames Research Center welcomed 

representatives of the Singapore-based Air Traffic Management Research Institute (ATMRI). ATMRI director Dr. 

Chen Chung Hsin and program manager Mr. Zhi Quiang Kuok presented an overview of ATMRI, which is a partnership between the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

NASA personnel provided overviews of research on traffic flow management, integrated arrival-departure-surface 

concept development, airport surface automation, dynamic weather routes, and unmanned aerial systems in the 

national airspace. The visitors expressed appreciation for the briefings and facility tours, and are interested in furthering potential collaborations with NASA. 

(POC: Katharine Lee)

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Completion of SARDA Human-in-the-Loop Simulation Data Collection

The Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) airport surface research team performed three weeks of data 

collection runs from September 29 through October 24 in NASA’s Ames Research Center’s FutureFlight Central 

(FFC) facility. The experiment was the last in a series of six planned human-in-the-loop simulations in fiscal year 

2014 to evaluate a surface scheduling technology, including ramp tower displays, using Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) Airport in Charlotte, N.C. as the target airport in the simulation. 

American Airlines (formerly US Airways) personnel participated as ramp tower controllers in the experiment, during which the team simulated the new operational conditions added to the scenarios from previous simulations, 

including traffic flow management initiatives such as expected departure clearance times and miles-in-trail restrictions. In addition, a new feature for the scheduler function was added to suggest different taxiways in order 

to avoid congestion in the ramp area. 

Two engineers from the American Airlines Operations Planning and Performance Group participated during the 

simulation to collaborate with NASA researchers in fine-tuning the integration of their taxi prediction module with 

the SARDA scheduler function. The SARDA capability will eventually be tested in the American Airlines ramp tower 

at CLT within the next two years. 

(POC: Dr. Yoon Jung) 

An American Airlines air traffic 

controller participates in the 

SARDA experiment at the 

NASA Ames airport tower simulator, FutureFlight Central
IPO UAS 2030+ Vision 

Meeting

Tom Davis, one of NASA's Interagency Planning Office (IPO) points 

of contact, has attended the first of 

two unmanned aircraft systems 

(UAS) 2030+ multi-agency vision 

meetings. Other agencies in attendance included the Federal Aviation 

Administration, the Department of 

Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department 

of Commerce. NASA's UAS 

(unmanned aerial systems) in the 

NAS (national airspace system) Project and air traffic management +1 

(near-term), +2 (mid-term) and +3 

(far-term) plans for the Next Generation Air Transportation System 

(NextGen) will play key roles in the 

development of the “NextGen UAS 

Vision” document that sets the 

goals and guidelines for U.S. government investment in integrating 

all UAS operations into the NAS. 

NASA's UAS Traffic Management 

(UTM) concept is mentioned prominently as a key concept in the evolution of the interagency plan. The 

NextGen UAS Vision document is in 

the early planning stages and is expected to be ready for review in 

mid-calendar year 2015 

(POC: Tom Davis)

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Visit by NIF Software Engineering Team from 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

On November 5, the air traffic management (ATM) software development team at NASA Ames Research Center hosted six software 

engineers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National 

Ignition Facility (NIF). The NIF's lead for engineering tools had contacted Ms. Michelle Eshow and requested a meeting after reading 

online about the ATM team's successful transition to the Atlassian 

software suite (including such applications as JIRA, Confluence, 

Stash, Bitbucket, Crucible and Clover, among others) and its use of 

Git, the open-source, version-control system for software development. The ATM team uses such tools for many aspects of software 

engineering, especially change tracking. 

The visitors had many detailed questions about lessons learned, 

and the pros and cons of ATM tool selection for configuration control, documentation a nd r elease d eployment. The t eam spent 

about three hours in discussions, then gave the visitors informal 

tours of the NASA Ames simulation facilities used to support Airspace Operations and Safety Program research activities. The NIF 

visitors were extremely appreciative, departing wi th mo re confidence that they may also be able to use same tools. 

(POC: Michelle Eshow) 

NASA's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Ikhana
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ATD-2 Team Workshop Held

On November 4-6, NASA's Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration (ATD-2) formulation team conducted 

a three day workshop at NASA Ames Research Center. ATD-2 will be part of the 

new Airspace Technology Demonstration 

Project (ATDP), and is focused on demonstrating integrated arrival/departure/

surface (IADS) technologies. A preformulation planning effort solicited 

stakeholder feedback to establish the highlevel concept and scope for ATD 2.

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During the first day of the workshop, the formulation team reviewed both NASA and non-NASA technologies relevant to ATD-2. On day 2, the team participated in system engineering exercises to further define the high level concept produced by the pre-formulation team. The final day of the workshop was 

devoted to technology mapping, wherein the formulation team began to identify the specific technologies that will be further developed and integrated during the ATD-2 effort. The formulation team will use 

the workshop products to develop an integrated concept of operations and detailed project plan for 

ATD-2. (POC: Shawn Engelland)

ICAO CAEP ISG Workgroup Kickoff Meeting

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection 

(CAEP) includes the Impact and Science Group (ISG) to provide the best possible consensus information 

to the Committee. The ISG is co-chaired by the Federal Aviation Administration’s chief scientist for environment and energy, and the Britain-based Civil Aviation Authority’s climate and air quality technical advisor. (Dr. Banavar Sridhar has been nominated as a U.S. member of the ISG.) The ISG has a three-year 

work cycle, and is tasked to produce white papers on aviation impacts on climate, climate impacts on 

aviation, aviation impacts on air quality, and aviation noise impacts. A kickoff meeting of the working 

group was held on November 20 to familiarize new members and prepare for the ISG workshop during 

February 10-12, 2015, in Washington, D.C. (POC: Dr. Banavar Sridhar) 

ATD--2metroplex traffic management concept
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University of Iowa Conducts TASAR 

HITL Flight Simulation Experiment

Data collection for the second Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR) human-in-the- loop 

(HITL) flight simulation experiment was conducted 

by Dr. Thomas Schnell and Mr. Mathew Cover of the 

University of Iowa’s Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL). Data collection began on October 7 and 

continued for six weeks. The main objectives of this 

HITL experiment, conducted under a NASA Research 

Announcement contract held by Rockwell Collins, 

were to assess the efficacy, usability, and degree of 

pilot acceptability of the recently updated human

machine interface (HMI) of NASA’s Traffic Aware 

Planner (TAP) software application and of a prototype computer-based training module. 

The concept of TASAR combines airborne automation/software with Automatic Dependent 

Surveillance-Broascast (ADS-B) In and other 

information to enable user in flight trajectory 

optimization planning and to increase the likelihood 

of air traffic controller (ATC) approval of trajectory 

change requests. TASAR is designed as a near-term 

application to improve flight efficiency, with 

potential operational benefits that include reduced 

flight time, fuel savings, and gaining early benefits 

from ADS-B IN at minimal in-vestment. Alaska 

Airlines and Virgin America are pur-suing 

partnerships with NASA Langley Research Cen-ter to 

conduct operational use testing on revenue flights 

starting in 2015. 

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During the course of the experiment, while flying 

several scenarios in the OPL fixed-base, full-flightdeck simulator, 12 airline transport pilots (including 

nine from the two partner airlines) interacted with 

the TAP software application hosted on a tablet

based electronic flight bag (EFB) computer. The simulation environment enabled pilot interaction with a 

first officer, an air traffic controller, and a simulated 

airline dispatcher using a realistic radio communication environment. 

The test scenarios incorporated the occurrence of 

realistic normal and non-normal events designed to 

create TASAR use-case opportunities - such as dis

traction tasks for the pilot - as a realistic environment to assess human factors issues of using TAP 

concurrently with other EFB applications and cockpit 

tasks. A range of objective metrics were collected in 

real-time, including physiological measurements 

such as an electrocardiogram, as well as eye-scan 

behavior via eye-tracking cameras. Subjective 

measures of pilot workload, usability and situation 

awareness were also administered. 

The results from data analyses will be used to refine 

TAP’s HMI design and functional capabilities in preparation for an upcoming NASA flight trial and the 

operational-use trials by partner airlines. The 

airline partnerships will accelerate the operational 

readi-ness of NASA’s TAP software technology and 

enable near-term technology transfer to operators 

in the national airspace system. 

(POC: David Wing)
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Airline and Industry Meetings Mark Progress towards TASAR Operational-Use 

Testing

To advance the emerging airline partnerships on the NASA TASAR concept and technology, engineers from 

NASA Langley Research Center attended meetings at Alaska Airlines on October 27-28, and at Virgin America on October 29. The NASA-developed TAP software application enables TASAR operations by monitoring 

flight-optimization opportunities during the en route phase of flight, taking traffic, winds, weather and other factors into account to increase air traffic control acceptability of the pilot’s route-change request. An 

initial flight test in late 2013 verified the TAP software’s operation in a flight environment. Following a second NASA flight test planned for early-to-mid 2015, TAP is scheduled for cockpit installation by both airlines for operational use testing in collaboration with NASA. 

The working meetings included briefings by NASA on projected TASAR benefits and on a human factors 

evaluation underway at the University of Iowa Operator Performance Lab, for which both airlines supplied 

evaluation pilots. Technical discussions were held on requirements and processes, for TAP integration on 

airline hardware and certification/approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. Additional discussions 

addressed airline pilot training using a NASA-developed computer based trainer developed for TAP. 

Briefings were given to senior management of both airlines on the concept and collaboration activities, as 

well as the projected cost savings from TASAR operations. Savings are estimated to be more than 20 times 

those estimated for similar ground-based products. Significant interest in the TASAR partnership with 

NASA continues from both airlines. Space Act Agreements are currently in the final stages of preparation.

On a related note, Rockwell Collins Information Management Systems (IMS), formerly ARINC, visited NASA 

Langley on November 21 to discuss their commercialization interest in TASAR and its potential role in their 

company’s vision for connectivity of air and ground systems. IMS is developing technologies for highly connected cockpit and ground systems and is interested in exploring what this connectivity-enabled, 

information-rich environment can accomplish. Their interest in TASAR stems not only for its near-term 

commercial potential, as evidenced by two airlines pursuing NASA partnerships for operational testing, but 

also for its growth potential to accommodate the expanding connectivity to new information sources on 

and off the aircraft. 

Their interest aligns well with NASA’s vision for a “Network-Enabled Air Traffic Management (ATM)” system, an element within the midterm SMART NAS (Shadow Mode Assessment using Realistic Technologies 

for the National Airspace System) Test Bed for Safe Trajectory Based Operations Project within the Airspace Operations and Safety Program. The meeting included a demonstration of the TAP software, which 

reinforced their initial commercialization interests. Additional discussions will explore specific opportunities for software licensing of TAP and other future collaborations. (POC: David Wing)
FIAT-5 Shakedown and Data Collection Runs Completed

The Fully Integrated ATD (Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration)-1 Test 

(FIAT) simulation 5 underwent successful shakedown and experiment data collections runs this 

past quarter. Shakedown was conducted the week of September 29-October 3 and met all simulation objectives. During this period, the FIAT-5 research team hosted five visitors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including three William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC) employees who are working on the Operational Integration Assessment (OIA) scheduled for May 

2015. 

Four days of human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations were performed with about 25 air traffic controller and pseudo-pilot subjects. The objectives of the shakedown included validating the newest Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) software build containing new 

display capabilities; testing a nearly completed Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSS)-enhanced 

Time-Based Flow Management (TBFM) version 4.2; examining ground-based interval management for spacing (GIM-S) adaptation and its effect on air traffic control procedures; and examining the performance of “TBFM in-a-box” that consolidates all TBFM processes on a single computer. A NASA-configured TBFM in-a-box at the WJHTC is being used for preliminary integration activities, and is planned to be used for the OIA. 

During the shakedown runs, the new STARS capabilities performed flawlessly, and were received 

favorably by the participating controllers. Meanwhile, the performance of the TSS-enhanced 

TBFM 4.2 was stable and reliable. One of the WJHTC visitors participated in the FAA's GIM-S operational test and evaluation this past May and June, communicating techniques and training to the 

controller participants. The performance of TBFM in-a-box was acceptable, demonstrating that 

using a single machine for TBFM at the OIA is viable. The FIAT-5 simulation team transferred the 

STARS and TBFM 4.2 software to the WJHTC so that it was ready to be used for a planned integration event on October 15 and 16. 

Following the earlier shakedown runs, data collection runs were completed December 2-9. Twenty participants, comprised of 11 pseudo-pilots and nine controller subjects, took part in the simulation study. The objectives of the early-December study were to complete the validation of the 

TSS-enhanced TBFM version 4.2.0, to refine the procedures for off-nominal events, explore baseline performance (without TSS), and to demonstrate air traffic situations relevant to, and to reduce risk for, the OIA and/or operational deployment. In total, 22 runs were conducted over the 

eight-day period. Questionnaires were administered after each run. 
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Boeing ecoDemonstrator ATD-1 Flight Trials

In support of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration (ATD)-1 Project, this past quarter 

flight trials were conducted on the Boeing Aircraft Company ecoDemonstrator 787-800 test aircraft that utilizes advanced experimental equipment to accelerate the science of aerospace and environmentally friendly 

technologies. On November 3-5, ground testing began for the Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM) hard

ware and software equipment installed on the ecoDemonstrator. Engineers from both NASA’s Langley and 

Ames Research Centers supported a successful flight test conducted at Moses Lake, Wash. on December 12. 

The Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) algorithm provided spacing guidance to the Boeing 

787 crew as they followed a participant aircraft. This experiment was an initial step in preparation for the ATD1 flight demonstration expected in 2017, and was the first field demo of the ASTAR 12 algorithm, which successfully provided metered spacing between two participant aircraft. (Further detail can be found in this NASA 

press release of December 15: http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/December/nasa tests software that may

help increase flight efficiency decrease aircraft/)

ASTAR uses Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast ( ADS B) In information from participant aircraft to 

provide time-based spacing off a specified target. Using speed commands generated by the ASTAR algorithm, 

the on-board user is able to input those speeds into the flight director, then achieve and maintain a specified 

time interval behind the preceding target aircraft. The objective of the flight trial was to provide initial assess

ment for the feasibility of the ASTAR 12 spacing algorithm in a real-time national airspace environment, which 

previously had only been tested in simulation. The effort also required the creation of a new communication 

tool, which reformatted aircraft-state data from a Rockwell device to the data-transfer standard for aircraft 

avionics known as ARINC 429 that rendered the data usable in a simulated aircraft bus on the test laptop. 

NASA and Boeing personnel worked jointly at lab facilities in Chantilly, Va., NASA Langley Research Center in 

Hampton Va., and in Seattle, Wash. Closely collaborating with Boeing and air traffic controllers in Seattle and 

Moses Lakes, Wash., the NASA Langley team developed two flight routes that merged prior to the instrument 

approach to Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake. Similar routes were built to Seattle standard

terminal arrival routes (STARs) for testing prior to the demo. Simulation testing for all routes occurred at Langley and contractor facilities with simulated aircraft called ASTORs (Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations 

Research), previously used in other NASA studies such as RAPTOR , Controller Managed Spacing ATD-5 (CA 5), 

the Fully Integrated ATD (FIAT)-4 simulation, and the Interval Management for Near-term Operations Validation of Acceptability (IM-NOVA) experiment. 

The design of the demonstration was to configure two aircraft, one following the other, along a pre-determined arrival route into an airport. Speed commands would be generated on a laptop inside the cabin of the 

FIM aircraft following the target, then the laptop operator would communicate the speed commands to the 

FIM pilots. Keeping the technology out of the cockpit helped mitigate testing certification delays. Two separate 

opportunities arose for FIM operations. 

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On December 6, during an in air operational test of the software package, the ecoDemonstrator was able to 

fly behind a Virgin America flight inbound to Seattle and maintain adequate spacing distance. On December 

12, five flights with a designated test airplane as the target on the same route, and on a separate route from 

the ecoDemonstrator, produced arrival conformance times within a few seconds of the predetermined goal. 

Pilot acceptability was high, with multiple Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees 

stating how “very impressed” they were with the NASA product. All five runs exhibited an arrival time within 

seconds of the spacing goal with correct sequencing achieved. 

Air traffic control facilities partnered with NASA participants during the recent demo have offered data recordings of the flight to assist with the analysis. Future analyses will examine controller workload with a FIM 

operation and assess air/ground procedures used in the demonstration. Just as valuable was the collaborative effort between NASA, Boeing, and the FAA, which led to a safe and fruitful flight and increased potential 

for future partnerships.

Feedback from this demonstration will help guide planners for future ATD field activities. Preliminary results 

were briefed to the project on January 29, 2015. In advance of the expected 2017 ATD-1 flight trials, Boeing 

has offered NASA another opportunity for an in-flight test of the FIM ASTAR software onboard the ecoDemonstrator. (POC: Sherri Brown)
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ATD-2 Planning Team Visit to Boston Logan International Airport and Raytheon

In December, members of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration (ATD)-2 Integrated Arrival/Departure/Surface (IADS) Planning Team visited the Jet Blue Airways ramp operation facility, the air traffic 

control (ATC) tower at Boston Logan International Airport, and Raytheon Company facilities in Marlborough, 

Mass. to view current air traffic management tools and discuss potential collaborations. At Boston Logan, the 

NASA team viewed PASSUR Aerospace software used by both the Jet Blue ramp tower and the Logan air traffic 

control tower. 

Traffic conditions in and out of the three alleyways of Logan’s Terminal C pose significant challenges to both 

ramp operators and tower controllers who need to manage incoming arrivals, departures pushing back from 

gates, and aircraft being towed from overnight parking areas to the gates. The PASSUR system is used by the 

ramp operator to input a desired sequence of traffic based on flight information. In the ATC tower, the tool has 

the same sequence information displayed to the ATC ground controller, who would normally accept the sequence requests made by the ramp operator. Use of the software has generated roughly $2,500 per day in fuel 

savings for Jet Blue.

In Marlborough, the NASA team viewed the Raytheon facility used for demonstrating the IADS concept for a 

metroplex environment. The facility consisted of a suite of tools including PASSUR Aerospace’s Integrated 

Traffic Management (PITM) system for airport/airline operations through collaborative decision making; Raythe

on-developed capabilities including electronic flight strips for ATC tower controllers; and a Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) display with a Traffic 

Management Unit (TMU) position. (POC: Shawn Engelland) 

Aviation Systems Division Meeting with Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has assembled a small team from their Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy Group to explore the application o f machine learning techniques such a s data mining and 

classification to air traffic data, and to develop strategies for dealing with events that disrupt normal air traffic 

operations. Drs. Tara Estlin and Alphan Altinok from JPL visited NASA Ames Research Center on December 15 

and met with Drs. Banavar Sridhar, Karl Bilimoria and Heather Arneson. Their discussions provided JPL an understanding of the various data sources and software used in air traffic management. JPL has requested a copy 

of the Future Air Traffic Management (ATM) Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET), and a software usage agreement is in progress. Based on these interactions with division staff, JPL plans to develop a partnership proposal 

to present to NASA Ames. (POC: Dr. Banavar Sridhar)
// Awards, Papers and Appointments

Papers 

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Awardees Honored at the Digital Avionics Systems Conference

Aviation Systems Division research was honored with two awards at the recent Digital Avionics Systems Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado that took place October 6-10. For their manuscript entitled 

“Optimizing Integrated Terminal Airspace Operations Under Uncertainty,” Christabelle Bosson and co-authors 

Min Xue and Shannon Zelinski received the best paper award across the entire air traffic management track 

that included more than 20 papers in five sessions. Michelle Eshow and co authors Max Lui and Shubha Ran

jan were also awarded best paper in the Collaborative Decision Making/System Wide Information Manage

ment Session for their paper, “Architecture and Capabilities of a Data Warehouse for ATM Research.”

L--R: Min Xue, Christabelle Bosson, and

Shannon Zelinski

Appointments

Langley Researcher Appointed to TRB Committee 

Gary Lohr of NASA Langley Research Center has accepted an appointment by the Transportation Research 

Board (TRB) to serve on its Committee on Airfield and Airspace Capacity and Delay. The appointment runs 

through April 2016. The TRB of the National Academies is a division of the National Research Council (NRC), a 

private, nonprofit institution that provides expertise in science and technology to the government, the public, 

and the scientific and engineering communities. The NRC is jointly administered by the National Academy of 

Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Members of NRC technical committees serve as individuals, not as representatives of the organizations by which they are employed or of 

which they may be members.