1

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

Airspace Systems 

Program Newsletter

JAN–MAR 2013

Continous 

Descent

p5 ATD-1 Integration Testing 

at Raytheon

p10 FIAT-2 Completes Shakedown

Simulations

www.nasa.gov
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

// Technical/Programmatic Highlights 

ATD-1 Technology Components.

ATD-1 Meeting with Airbus,

January 2013

William C. Johnson, deputy lead for Air Traffic 

Management Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1), 

and Michael Koch, ATD-1 avionics lead, met with 

industry manufacturer Airbus in Washington, D.C. 

to discuss a possible role for Airbus in ATD-1. The 

meeting was also attended by Akbar Sultan, Airspace 

Systems Program (ASP) deputy director, and Leighton 

Quon, Systems Analysis, Integration and Evaluation 

(SAIE) Project project manager. ATD-1 is an activity 

within ASP/SAIE. Mr. Johnson presented an overview 

of ATD-1 and fielded questions from Airbus leaders in 

air traffic management, avionics and product development. ATD-1 was well-received with actions taken by 

both organizations to foster further dialogue. Airbus is 

particularly interested in the far-term implementation 

of Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM). NASA 

Langley Research Center-developed FIM technology 

is one of the key technologies in ATD-1 and will be 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

used to provide speed guidance during an aircraft’s 

arrival according to an inter-arrival spacing behind 

another aircraft. 

Opportunities for Airbus to partner with NASA 

Langley on future research and development activities 

across the center were also discussed. Another discussion with Airbus is being planned for the near term to 

address strategic direction of a NASA/Airbus partnership for ATD-1 and with NASA Langley. This meeting 

was a direct result of discussions held during ATD-1 

Industry Day at Langley in August 2012. 

(POC: William C. Johnson)

ATD-1 Meetings with Thales, 

October 2012 – January 2013

William C. Johnson, deputy lead for Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1), and 

Michael Koch, ATD-1 avionics lead, conducted a series 

of three meetings with industry manufacturer Thales to 

discuss Thales participation in ATD-1. Thales is the parent company of Aviation Communication & Surveillance 

Systems (ACSS), an avionics manufacturer that is currently partnered with Boeing to prototype ATD-1 flight 

deck technologies within an ACSS commercial product 

on a Boeing 737NG aircraft. At the initial meeting at 

NASA’s annual Systems Analysis, Integration and Evaluation (SAIE) Project conference, Mr. Johnson presented 

an overview of ATD-1 and fielded questions from Thales 

leaders in air traffic management, avionics, and product 

development. ATD-1 was well-received, with actions 

taken by both organizations to foster further dialogue. 

While in France for an Radio Technical Commission 

for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee (SC)-186 

Working Group (WG)-4 meeting, Mr. Koch visited 

Thales’ facilities in Toulouse, where he had discussions 

with their manager for airborne separation assistance 

systems (ASAS) and received a tour of their facilities, 

including their ASAS capabilities. A subsequent planning meeting was held at Thales’ Headquarters in 

Virginia to exchange more information pertaining to 

Single European Sky ATM Research activities related to 

ATD-1 and to determine how both organizations might 

work together. The initial meeting was a direct result of 

discussions held during ATD-1 Industry Day in August 

2012 at NASA Langley Research Center. 

(POC: William C. Johnson)

Wake Research Discussions with NWRA 

and DLR, January 2013

Dr. Nash’at Ahmad and Dr. Fred Proctor met with 

Don Delisi, Matthew Pruis and David Lai of Northwest Research Associates (NWRA), and with Don 

Jacob of the Coherent Research Group during the January American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 

(AIAA) 51st Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 

in Grapevine, Texas, held January 7-10. This meeting 

was held to discuss efforts of NWRA under a current NASA Research Announcement (NRA) activity, 

sponsored by the Airspace Systems Program’s Concept 

and Technology Development Project. In the meeting, 

status and near-term goals were discussed and a list of 

action items and delivery dates were developed. 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

Topics included:

•	 Deployment of meteorological and lidar sensors at

Memphis International Airport in order to acquire 

high-quality wake-vortex measurements; 

•	 Reprocessing of existing Denver 2005 and 2006

measurements with newer and more accurate lidar 

processing algorithms; 

•	 Processing of turbulence and crosswind profiles

from an existing Denver lidar file; and 

•	 Documentation and standardization of file

format and database structure for measured data 

and software. 

Drs. Ahmad and Proctor also met with Frank Holzapfel of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to discuss 

joint research and planned milestones for wake research 

under the NASA-DLR agreement “On Cooperation 

in Aeronautics and the Exploration and Use of Outer 

Space for Peaceful Purposes.” DLR is considering the 

deployment of their lidar to Memphis and would like 

to coordinate with the NASA measurement campaign. 

The outcome of the NRA contract and the DLR collaboration will provide much needed field data, and 

contribute to the development and validation of wakevortex prediction tools that will allow the development 

of safe and efficient aircraft separation criteria within 

the national airspace system. 

(POC: Fred Proctor)

Delta Airlines, Passur Aerospace Discuss 

NASA Collaborations, January 2013

The general manager of air traffic management from 

Delta Airlines and the vice president of air traffic 

innovations for Passur Aerospace visited NASA Ames 

Research Center on January 10-11. During their visit, 

they were given briefings and demonstrations of NASA 

technologies, including the Dynamic Weather Routes 

System, airport surface scheduling, mitigation of 

weather constraints, airline behavior modeling, airport 

scheduling in and around Atlanta, and a tour of simulation facilities. The meetings ended with discussions to 

investigate specific collaborations between NASA and 

these two organizations. 

(POC: Tom Davis)

ATD-1 Announces First Airline Partner, 

January 2013

US Airways has agreed to be the first airline partner 

with NASA on Air Traffic Management Technology 

Demonstration-1 (ATD-1). A letter announcing the 

airline’s intent to partner with NASA was sent on 

January 14 from the US Airways senior vice president 

for flight operations to the NASA Airspace Systems 

Program director and the aeronautics directors at 

NASA Langley and NASA Ames research centers. 

The objective of ATD-1 is to demonstrate an integrated set of NASA Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, technologies that provide 

an efficient arrival solution addressing the complexities 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

of high-density operations. This integrated set of technologies includes the Flight Deck Interval Management 

System (FIM), an Automatic Dependent Surveillance 

– Broadcast (ADS-B) In-based application, and the 

Traffic Management Advisor with Terminal Metering 

(TMA-TM) and Controller Managed Spacing Tools 

(CMS). 

The US Airways partnership is a major step forward 

toward the successful execution of the ATD-1 activities 

and the planned flight demonstration, as well as toward 

the acceleration of the FIM ADS-B In application into 

operational use in the national airspace system. A number of discussions with, and briefings to, US Airways 

by the ATD-1 team, including William Johnson, the 

deputy lead for ATD-1 and Mike Koch, the ATD-1 

avionics lead, were instrumental in the airline’s decision 

to partner with NASA. 

The ATD-1 team continues to have discussions 

with other airlines, including Fed Ex and Southwest 

airlines, to gain additional partners for this gamechanging activity. 

(POC: William C. Johnson) 

ATD-1 Integration Testing at Raytheon, 

January 2013

An ATD-1 team traveled to Raytheon Corporation 

facilities in Mt. Laurel, N.J. January 22-24 to conduct integration testing of NASA’s Aeronautical Data 

Link And Radar Simulator (ADRS) and Multi Aircraft 

Control System (MACS) with the Federal Aviation 

Administration’s (FAA’s) Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). STARS is the 

intended platform for hosting ATD-1 technologies, 

and several STARS displays will be used in upcoming 

simulation experiments at NASA. 

The integration and validation testing was intended to 

compare ADRS/MACS with Raytheon’s ATCoach software to determine whether MACS can be used for simulations on the STARS displays. MACS-driven aircraft 

targets successfully appeared on the STARS displays for 

Los Angeles-based airspace, and development is underway to enable testing using Phoenix, Ariz. airspace. 

Additional integration testing at Raytheon is planned 

for late February to evaluate the Phoenix adaptation, 

and a future simulation is planned to evaluate the incorporation of the CMS tools. These integration milestones 

are key steps to enable a successful ATD-1 human-inthe-loop simulation with the STARS system, known as 

Fully Integrated ATD-1 Technologies, or FIAT. 

(POC: Kevin Witzberger)

Screenshot of ATD-1 Controller Managed Spacing tools.
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

ATD-1 Invited to Present at Conference, 

January 2013

ATD-1 leadership from NASA Langley and NASA 

Ames research centers provided an invited presentation on ATD-1 to an airline technical pilot conference 

January 23-24 hosted by US Airways (an ATD-1 airline 

partner). The purpose of the conference was to gather 

airspace users and FAA decision makers to explore 

ways to enable changes in the national airspace system 

(NAS). The conference was attended by commercial 

air carriers US Airways, United Airlines, Southwest 

Airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, FedEx, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Airlines, Mesa 

Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, Pacific Southwest Airlines, 

United Parcel Service, and WestJet; as well as manufacturers Airbus, Boeing, Honeywell, General Electric, 

Jeppesen, Rockwell Collins, Thales and various FAA 

organizations and personnel from the Air Traffic Controllers Association. 

At the conference, US Airways cited the NASA 

ATD-1 team for helping them to address key terminal 

area capabilities that are needed for improvements to 

the NAS. ATD-1 is viewed by the community as a 

crucial effort in enabling higher density terminal arrival 

operations and increased use of performance-based 

navigation in the national airspace system. 

ATD-1 was presented by John Robinson, chief engineer for ATD-1, with support from ATD-1 deputy lead 

William C. Johnson. NASA’s presentation of ATD-1 

was well-received by everyone at the conference. Interest from several airlines, including American, Delta, 

Southwest, and US Airways, resulted in further discussions during the conference. Further ATD-1 engagement with this group will continue through various 

avenues such as activities and working groups sponsored by Airlines for America; interested airlines will be 

invited to observe key ATD-1 milestones going forward. 

Interest in ATD-1 from these stakeholder airlines is 

seen as a validation of the nation’s airspace improvement needs and importance of the solutions being 

developed by NASA.

(POC: William C. Johnson)

Algorithm Tested in Human-in-the-Loop 

Experiment, January 2013

 Dr. Bryan Barmore and Mr. Michael Koch attended 

a November 5-8 meeting of the Radio Technical 

Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee 186 (SC-186) and the European Organization 

for Civil Aviation Equipment (EuroCAE) Working 

Group 51 (WG-51) subgroup at the Airbus Company 

in Toulouse, France. SC-186 and WG-51 are developing Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM) and 

Traffic Situation Awareness with Alerts (TSAA) Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS), 

which are new capabilities being introduced as part of 

the FAA’s NextGen Airspace Program. The NextGenSystem Analysis, Integration, and Evaluation (SAIE) 

Air Traffic Management (ATM) Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1) activity intends to demonstrate 

MOPS-based FIM procedures, software, and equipment for use in flight trials planned for 2015-2017. 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

Screenshot of OASIS.

This meeting was the third in a series of quarterly 

meetings and only included committee members 

supporting the FIM MOPS. Its primary focus was to 

discuss the results and status of several ongoing efforts 

in support of Operational Performance Analysis (OPA) 

and Operational Safety Analysis (OSA) activities. Dr. 

Barmore led the Delta operational services and environment description (OSED) discussion presenting a summary of final operational scenarios and the results of a 

workshop conducted to address several small OSEDrelated questions that rose out of previous meetings. 

Mr. Koch held several breakout meetings with committee leadership and equipment manufacturer representatives to discuss the impacts of new display requirements 

the FIM equipment must support. New display 

requirements have impacted the architecture assumed 

for ATD-1, affecting planned experiments and the 

avionics development already underway. 

The results of the OPA and OSA activities will drive 

many of the MOPS requirements, which will directly 

affect the FIM avionics development for ATD-1. 

Some analyses were mature enough to begin driving 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

requirements. Others are still a work in progress and 

have not yet led to any tangible requirement recommendations. The objective of presenting such work was 

to gain committee buy-in with regard to the analysis 

approach, or to share preliminary results, which must 

be studied further. Once complete, the MOPS will 

pave the way for FIM to be integrated into commercial 

aircraft and into the national airspace system, contributing to efficiency gains in arrival operations and 

improvement in airport throughput and capacity.

The next meeting is scheduled for early March at the 

RTCA Headquarters in Washington D.C. The MOPS 

development is scheduled for completion in May, 2014. 

(POC: Michael Koch)

Presentation to the CSPO Working Group, 

January 2013

Dr. Bryan Barmore and Mr. Brad Perry attended 

the Closely Space Parallel Operations (CSPO) Working Group meeting at The MITRE Corp. in McLean, 

Virginia on January 30. Mr. Perry presented a summary of the FY 2012 Phase I FAA reimbursable work 

that developed, tested, and transferred to the FAA the 

Adjacent Landing Alerting System (ALAS) algorithm 

software. The ALAS algorithm is an aircraft-based alerting capability that monitors and alerts pilots of airspace 

intrusions by aircraft on adjacent, closely spaced parallel 

runway approaches, and can enable enhanced approach 

capability to these runways. He also outlined the FY 

2013 Phase II FAA reimbursable work that will include 

refining the ALAS algorithm for use with the current 

and future ADS-B capabilities, working with MITRE 

and the FAA to develop a concept of operations, and 

assisting the FAA with preparations for a planned 

human-in-the-loop simulation study to be conducted 

by the FAA in FY 2014. 

Mr. Rick Butler, Mr. Wilfredo Torres-Pomales, and 

Mr. Michael Madden joined Mr. Perry for follow-up 

discussions on January 31. Mr. Butler provided a demonstration of the ALAS algorithm performance to the 

CSPO Working Group and discussed the algorithm’s 

current capabilities. The CSPO Working Group is 

focused on developing instrument approach solutions 

for closely spaced parallel runways that will enable 

aircraft arrival rates during instrument meteorological conditions that are as close as possible to visual 

approach arrival rates. 

(POC: Brad Perry)

HITL Simulation Explores Trajectory 

Prediction Requirements, January 2013

Airspace Systems Program researchers completed what 

is believed to be the first human-in-the-loop (HITL) 

simulation to address the age-old question regarding 

trajectory prediction (TP) performance: “How good is 

good enough?” That is, how much trajectory-prediction 

error can be accommodated by air traffic controllers 

before a NextGen trajectory-based operations (TBO) 

concept becomes untenable? 

Two controller teams used an advanced set of tools 

during 22 typical Atlanta arrival-metering trials in 

which uncertainties in the form of wind forecast errors 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

and errors in aircraft performance (e.g., descent rate) 

assumptions were varied from nominal levels to four to 

five times those of real-world uncertainties. Real-time 

controller performance metrics on the number of clearance instructions, workload, and quality of service in 

terms of arrival metering accuracy and traffic separation 

were recorded. Preliminary observations suggest that 

there was no clear controller “breakpoint” (whereupon 

the operational concept became untenable). 

Even with the largest errors, controllers were able to 

compensate and adapt the advisories suggested by the 

automated tools to maintain safe separation and deliver 

arrival aircraft on time. Reported workload ratings did 

increase with increasing errors, but on average remained 

within acceptable levels. Increased TP errors did not 

appear to be correlated with an increase in the number of corrective clearances, nor did a reduction in the 

efficiency benefits of the NextGen tools. 

These findings suggest future research should further investigate the exact nature and impact of how 

the controllers adapted to the TP errors, and, if the 

same TP errors that were so effectively managed by the 

controllers are found to overwhelm a fully automated 

system that relies solely on corrective advisories, there 

may be a need to incorporate corrective learning in 

TBO automation as the controllers did naturally in the 

simulation. There may also be a need for additional 

development of the HITL concept for transition to 

more automated paradigms. 

(POC: Steve Green)

ATD-1 Discussions with FAA Albuquerque 

Control Center, January 2013

William C. Johnson, NASA Langley Research Center’s lead for the Airspace System Program’s Air Traffic 

Management Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1), 

met with FAA Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control 

Center (ARTCC/ZAB) leadership staff in Albuquerque, 

N.M. to interview the staff and gather information in 

an effort to determine if the facility would be an appropriate testbed for ATD-1 research and development 

activities and field test. The visit went very well. Some 

challenges were identified that require further examination, but when combined with terminal operations 

at the Phoenix Terminal Radar Control (TRACON/

P50) facility and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), 

the operational environment is a very good testbed for 

advanced terminal arrival research and development, 

such as ATD-1. As a result, ATD-1 has transitioned to 

conducting research and development in a simulated 

ZAB/P50/PHX environment. 

In a related but independent activity, the FAA has 

announced that ZAB will be their initial operational 

capability site for ground-based interval management 

-spacing (GIM-S). GIM-S will provide a necessary 

traffic-flow conditioning function that the ATD-1 concept will leverage. Some of the data to support the FAA 

GIM-S key site evaluation was provided by the NASA 

ATD-1 team last year. This key site selection by the 

FAA further strengthens ZAB/P50/PHX as an ATD-1 

appropriate environment for deployment.

(POC: William C. Johnson)
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

FIAT-2 Completes Shakedown Simulations, 

February 2013

NASA has developed a suite of advanced arrival management technologies combining time-based scheduling 

with controller- and flight deck-based precision spacing 

capabilities that allow fuel-efficient arrival operations 

during periods of high throughput. An operational 

demonstration of these integrated technologies, the Air 

Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1, or 

ATD-1, is slated for 2016. Human-in-the-loop simulations were conducted February 4-6 at NASA Ames 

Research Center to evaluate the performance of the 

ATD-1 system and validate operational feasibility.

Fully Integrated ATD-1 Technologies-2, or FIAT-2, 

focuses on developing the ground-based controller 

tools used in ATD-1. The Controller Managed Spacing 

(CMS) tools were ported and tested in the NASA Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) software baseline. The 

FIAT research team completed a set of system checkout 

simulation runs of the CMS algorithms. Participants 

Screenshot of ATD-1 Controller Managed Spacing tools.

included five controllers and eight pseudo pilots, who 

also assisted in refining the phraseology and procedures 

proposed forATD-1. MITRE researchers also observed 

the shakedown and discussed plans for the upcoming 

Terminal Spacing and Sequencing (TSS) simulations. 

(POC: Jane Thipphavong)

Automation Maximus Workshop, 

February 2013

A two-day workshop entitled “Automation Maximus,” to explore initial ideas for maximum desired level 

of automation for air traffic management (ATM), was 

conducted at NASA Ames Research Center on February 6-7. A total of 34 participants from NASA Ames 

and Langley research centers, Dryden Flight Research 

Center and NASA Headquarters attended the workshop. The goal was to initiate the exploration of automation ideas for the future air transportation system 

25 years and beyond. All researchers who attended the 

workshop arrived prepared with specific automationrelated considerations for future ATM. 

The researchers discussed evolving trends in mobility, autonomy and automation, future vehicle types, 

including but not limited to personal vehicles, and 

future airspace usage, with the goal of deriving greater 

economic benefit from the airspace resource. There 

was a general agreement that future ATM automation 

should be considered from a clean-slate perspective 

and, as the starting point, the highest potential level of 

automation. Automation was seen as a key requirement 

of ATM operations to accommodate scalability, mixed 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

equipage, divergent user needs, and efficiency at the 

lowest possible cost. 

Researchers will consider multiple concepts and 

architectures to enable future ATM systems. Multiple 

groups, in a breakout session, identified a number of 

initial considerations for ATM architecture-related 

research ideas, as well as enabling technologies and 

methods. Such explorations will continue along these 

directions. The workshop was facilitated by NASA 

personnel Parimal Kopardekar, manager of the Concept 

and Technology Development Project, and Natalia 

Alexandrov, project scientist for the Systems Analysis, 

Integration and Evaluation Project. 

(POC: Parimal Kopardekar)

PTM Briefing for FAA Senior Manager, 

February 2013

On February 8, Ken Jones, Ryan Chartrand, and 

Tom Graff briefed Mr. Vincent Capezzuto, FAA 

Director of Air Traffic Services in the Program Management Organization on a new Automatic Dependent 

Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B)- based air traffic 

management concept known as Pair-wise Trajectory 

Management (PTM). 

Aircraft today are, at times, forced to fly on less 

than optimal trajectories to avoid conflicts with other 

air traffic. The goal of PTM is to reduce these traffic 

conflicts and save fuel and reduce delays by increasing time on an aircraft’s optimal trajectory (track and 

altitude) using air traffic control-assigned airborne 

management of a specific conflict. Mr. Capezzuto 

was pleased to see NASA developing concepts such 

as PTM and agreed that PTM was a logical, strategic 

step toward enabling Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) operations. Mr. Capezzuto was 

interested in collaborating with NASA on the development of the concept and supporting the development 

of PTM within standards organizations. 

As a result of the meeting, PTM will be presented to a 

joint plenary meeting of Radio Technical Commission 

for Aeronautics Special Committee 186 and European 

Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment Working 

Group 51 on March 8 for inclusion in their work program. This will result in an international government/

industry working group that will work with NASA to 

mature the PTM concept. This work not only supports 

a NASA Airspace Systems Program’s Concept and Technology Development Project milestone, but also begins 

developing critical stakeholder buy-in of PTM. 

(POC: Ken Jones)

Congratulations to Award Winners 

Aisha Bowe and Dr. Ousmane Diallo! 

February 2013

The 27th Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) 

and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math 

(STEM) Global Competitiveness Conference was 

held in Washington, D.C. on February 8. The BEYA 

STEM Conference is the largest gathering of STEM 

professionals and leaders who are committed to increasing the percentage of people from historically underrepresented communities in the technology 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

Poster congratulating the 2013 BEYA STEM Global 

Competitivenss Conference NASA Award Winners.

workforce. The conference recognized several outstanding NASA employees, including Aisha Bowe and 

Dr. Ousmane Diallo.

US Airways Visits Langley to Assess 

Cockpit Simulator, February 2013

Captain Mike Davis, a US Airways lead flight 

instructor, visited NASA Langley Research Center 

on February 14 to assess potential modifications to 

the Development and Test Simulator (DTS) flight 

cab, intended to make the cab more viable for Airbus 

qualified pilots to participate in future human-in-theloop experiments. The visit was hosted by Langley’s 

Crew Systems and Aviation Operations Branch and the 

Simulation Development and Analysis Branch. 

While the DTS services a multitude of research activities, the impetus behind exploring an Airbus reconfiguration is twofold. First, since a significant percentage 

of aircraft in the national airspace system are Airbus 

models, the pool from which researchers can draw 

subject pilots will be increased substantially, and experimental conclusions may be improved as a result of 

manufacturer diversity. Second, since US Airways has 

officially partnered with NASA to support the Systems 

Analysis, Integration and Evaluation Project’s Air Traffic 

Management Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1) 

activity, having a simulation resource more familiar to 

their pilots and staff will facilitate their involvement in 

near-term interval-management experiments supporting ATD-1 research. 

The primary goal of the assessment was to identify 

avionics dissimilarities, as compared with an actual 

Airbus cockpit, and determine whether the additional 

training and workload necessary to overcome the differences would prove detrimental to the execution and 

results of an experiment. The focus was to identify 

irreconcilable show stoppers, insignificant differences 

that could be overlooked, and practical modifications 

to the cab that would make it more familiar to Airbuscertified subject pilots. Emphasis was placed on cockpit 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

controls and displays, the center console, graphics, 

symbology, and how the flight model flies. 

Captain Davis was enthusiastic about his role, thorough in his assessment, and detailed with his input. 

In the end, he determined that no major hurdles exist 

and, for the purposes of experimental research, changing symbology and color schemes on the primary flight 

display (PRD) and navigation display (ND) are all that 

is needed to render the cab acceptable to US Airways 

pilots. Captain Davis also offered to host a group from 

NASA at the US Airways training facility in Charlotte 

to spend time in their A330 cab to get a firsthand look 

at an Airbus cockpit. If ATD-1 and Langley choose to 

move forward with changes to the PFD and ND, such 

a visit would facilitate the development process. 

(POC: Michael Koch)

TAP Prototype Software Delivered, 

February 2013

A prototype technology called the Traffic Aware 

Planner (TAP) was delivered on February 15 by 

Engility Corporation under the terms of a NASA 

Research Announcement (NRA) contract led by NASA 

to further develop the concept of Traffic Aware Strategic 

Aircrew Requests (TASAR). TASAR was conceived as a 

near-term application of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) In technology, providing airspace users the opportunity to receive early and 

direct benefits from ADS-B In. Currently, few flight 

deck applications exist that incorporate ADS-B. TASAR 

is envisioned as one potential cost-effective avenue to 

accelerate the widespread use of ADS-B in the national 

airspace system. TASAR research and development is 

sponsored by the Airspace System Program’s Concepts 

and Technology Development Project. 

The TAP software application runs on a Class 2 electronic flight bag and will serve as an advisory tool for 

pilots in making flight-optimizing trajectory changes 

during flight. To make the trajectory changes more 

likely to be approved by air traffic control, TAP leverages ADS-B surveillance data to ensure the requests will 

avoid conflicts with nearby traffic aircraft. The latest 

version of TAP, referred to as Build 2, continuously 

scans for time- and/or fuel-saving possibilities in three 

ways: lateral-only route changes, altitude changes, and 

combination lateral/altitude changes. TAP also supports 

a manual mode, where the pilot enters a desired change 

and the fuel/time impact and conflict prediction results 

are displayed. This mode will be useful for coordinating 

trajectory-change requests sent by the aircraft’s dispatcher. Future TAP versions will enhance the manual 

mode with the capability to automatically adjust the 

entered changed to avoid predicted conflicts. TAP will 

be tested by pilots this spring in a simulation experiment and this summer in a flight trial. 

The challenge that TAP meets is to quickly create a 

near-term flight-deck capability, by leveraging NASA 

technology developed and matured for self-separation 

research, which provides immediate operator benefits with minimal equipage and certification costs. A 

TASAR benefits study showed that, on average, aircraft equipped with TASAR saved about one to four 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

minutes of time and about 50-550 pounds of fuel per 

flight, depending on the optimization objective, class 

of airspace user and aircraft type. These benefits make 

a compelling argument for adopting ADS-B In and 

associated airborne flight-optimizing capabilities. 

(POC: David Wing) 

Dr. Banavar Sridhar Elected to UConn’s 

Academy of Distinguished Engineers, 

February 2013

On February 25, Dr. Banavar Sridhar, the NASA 

Ames Research Center’s senior scientist for Air Transportation Systems, was elected to the University of 

Connecticut School of Engineering’s Academy of 

Distinguished Engineers for 2013. The award acknowledges Dr. Sridhar’s career achievements and impact. 

Dr. Sridhar received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Connecticut, 

and joined NASA in 1986. He has served as the lead 

of modeling and optimization techniques in aerospace 

systems, and was one of the original developers of the 

award-winning Future Air Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET). FACET received the 

NASA Software of the Year award in 2006, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering Software Award in 2009, the NASA Government 

Invention of the Year Award in 2010, and the FAA 

Excellence in Aviation Research Award in 2010. 

Currently, Dr. Sridhar is applying learning automation techniques to improve air traffic operations, and 

developing methods to quantify and mitigate the 

Dr. Banavar Sridhar.

harmful effects of aircraft emissions and contrails. 

Dr. Sridhar is also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical 

and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute 

of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 

PIRAT Demonstration, February 2013

A team of NASA Langley researchers and contractors 

led by Colin Smith and Jim Smail conducted the 

Phoenix Integration with Research Tools for Airspace 

Testing (PIRAT) demonstration in the Air Traffic Operations Laboratory (ATOL) and the Integration Flight 

Deck (IFD) on February 26. PIRAT was a development 

activity for the Airspace Systems Program’s Air Traffic 

Management Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1), 

and was designed to complete, integrate, and test critical simulation and infrastructure developments for four 

upcoming ATD-1 experiments slated to occur in the 

remainder of the fiscal year. This early development 

activity was designed to reduce development required 

for the four individual experiments. 

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX) and supporting 

airspace facilities Phoenix Terminal Radar Approach 
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Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

Control and Albuquerque Center were chosen for 

future ATD-1 research and development activities after 

a key site analysis of potential sites that was conducted 

last year. The key site analysis evaluated airspace configuration, traffic demand, route structure, automation schedules, facility logistics and facility staff. PHX 

was selected as an excellent test bed for evaluations of 

ATD-1 operations due to its refined arrival procedures, 

automation schedules, advanced performance-based 

navigation implementation, progressive staff, and 

tremendous interest from the lead carrier. With PIRAT, 

all ATD-1 research and development activities across 

ATD-1 technologies and NASA labs at both Langley 

and Ames research centers are now aligned with 

PHX operations. 

(POC: Colin Smith)

Boeing Demonstrates Four Concept 

Avionics Prototypes, February/March 2013 

As part of the Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1 (ATD-1) avionics development 

contract, Boeing conducted a series of simulations 

from February 28 through March 1 at NASA Langley 

Research Center to demonstrate the use of NASA’s 

Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast 

(ADS-B) In-based Airborne Spacing for Terminal 

Arrival Routes (ASTAR) algorithm in four concept 

engineering prototype configurations designed for Flight 

Deck Interval Management System (FIM) operations. 

The event, led by Mr. Michael Koch, was the third 

major deliverable of the Phase 1 task order with a 

primary objective of validating the viable use of ASTAR 

for FIM operations. The demonstration was well 

attended, with representatives from ATD-1’s Management and Technical team, the Airspace Systems 

Program Office, the Systems Analysis, Integration and 

Evaluation Project, and Center management. Also participating were stakeholders from the FAA, US Airways, 

Boeing, and Aviation Communication & Surveillance 

Systems (ACSS). 

Both retrofit and forward-fit configurations were 

addressed (one each in Boeing’s 737NG and 777 

models) targeting feasible solutions for the near-term 

and mid-term national airspace system (NAS). One 

configuration of particular interest was a full hardware 

retrofit solution using a commercial ADS-B application 

platform running ASTAR on the 737 platform. Such a 

real-world solution goes a long way in proving the viability of integrating the ASTAR application in existing 

aircraft. Several combinations of scenarios, designed by 

NASA to exercise critical integration aspects of the FIM 

system, were successfully demonstrated with ASTAR 

performing well in each. 

Boeing did an excellent job briefing participants and 

conducting the simulations. The success of this activity 

was evident from participant feedback. In the end, this 

task served to validate prototype recommendations that 

will be used as a basis for FIM equipment requirements 

for the upcoming ATD-1 demonstration and help 

accelerate the transition of this ADS-B In-based application into NAS operations. 

(POC: Michael Koch) 
16

Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

DWR System Evaluated by FAA TMCs and 

Area Supervisors, February/March 2013

Six recently retired Fort Worth Center traffic management coordinators (TMCs) and area supervisors participated in an evaluation of the Dynamic Weather Routes 

(DWR) System February 26-March 7 at NASA Ames 

Research Center. Two main objectives of the study 

were achieved: first, Center participants provided their 

perspective and evaluation of DWR routes previously 

found to be acceptable to American Airlines (AA) users 

during the ongoing experimental trial at the AA System 

Operations Center; and, second, operating concepts 

for the use of DWR with automated airline/air traffic 

control coordination were examined. 

The evaluation system included automated coordination between airline DWR users and FAA Center TMCs, 

enabling both users to visualize and modify airline-proposed routes using nearly identical graphic displays, as 

well as automated detection of active weather-avoidance 

routes issued by the Air Traffic Control System Command Center during severe weather events.

The evaluation resulted in several important 

findings. DWR route advisories with large savings 

(e.g., 15-20 minutes or more) clearly triggered participants to question whether or not existing weather-avoidance routes were still necessary. The NASA team also 

gained a better understanding of factors that determine 

whether a DWR route can go directly to the flight 

crew without coordination, versus those that should be 

pre-coordinated with the local or neighboring center, 

Dynamic Weather Routes System in operation at the American Airlines System Operations Center, Fort Worth, TX

or with the command center. Simple automation that 

quickly displays a proposed reroute for those that need 

to approve appeared the best way to streamline coordination and implementation of a DWR route request, 

and make FAA traffic managers aware of route restrictions that may no longer be necessary. 

(POC: Chester Gong)

NASA Supports RTCA Meeting, March 2013

Dr. Bryan Barmore attended a meeting of the Radio 

Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special 

Committee (SC) 186 Working Group (WG) 4 and 

the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) WG-51 subgroup 1 at RTCA 

Headquarters in Washington, DC. March 5-7. SC-186 

and WG-51 are developing minimum operational 

performance standards (MOPS) for several Automatic 

Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) In 

applications including: Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM), Cockpit Display of Traffic Information 
17

Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

(CDTI)-Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS), and Traffic 

Situation Awareness with Alerts (TSAA). Approximately 50 participants from airlines, avionics manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, research organizations 

and regulatory organizations attended. 

Discussions focused on closing the final actions 

for the operational description for FIM, which 

Dr. Barmore is leading, as well as presenting results 

from the performance analysis. A sample algorithm, 

which will be included in the final FIM MOPS as 

industry guidance, was presented. Mr. Michael Koch 

assisted with the development of the sample algorithm 

based partially on the Airborne Spacing for Terminal 

Arrival Routes (ASTAR) algorithm developed at NASA, 

and used within NASA’s Airspace Systems Program 

research and development activities, including ATD-1. 

The committee accepted the analysis done to date as 

well as the first draft of functional requirements for 

the FIM equipment. The next working group meeting 

is scheduled for June 3-6 in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

The MOPS to support TSAA and CAVS is expected 

to go out for final review and comments in December 

2013. The FIM MOPS is scheduled for completion 

in May 2014.

(POC: Bryan Barmore) 

Kickoff Meeting Held for SPO Certification 

Requirements, March 2013

The kickoff for the single pilot operations (SPO) 

certification requirements task activity was held on 

March 7 by contractor Research Integrations, Inc. 

and NASA representatives. The kickoff was attended 

by Paul Schutte, NASA technical monitor for the 

task, Ken Goodrich, Walt Johnson, Mike Feary and, 

from Research Integrations, Inc., Dr. Beth Lyall, 

Jennifer Wilson, and Greg Harron. SPO is a research 

thread within NASA’s Concepts and Technology 

Development Project. 

The objective of this task is to identify and document certification requirements necessary to certify 

SPO for Part 135, Part 121, and Part 125 operations. 

The contractor will also address certification challenges 

and include certification issues for aircraft certification 

(Part 23 and 25). The contractors will begin with a 

survey of FAA rules and practices for crew complement 

(including the history of moving from a three-crew to a 

two-crew flightdeck). This will involve interviews with 

regulators and manufacturers. 

The next phase will involve reviewing the differences 

between Part 135 operations (which allows SPO in 

some cases) and Part 121 operations. Finally, certification estimates will be created for aircraft (Part 23 and 

25) and for operations (Part 121 and 125). The task is 

due to conclude in July 2013. The results of this task 

will guide SPO research efforts to ensure that issues 

that affect certification will be addressed early in the 

SPO activities. 

(POC: Paul Schutte)
18

Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

FAA/NASA Simulation Completes 

Shakedown Runs, March 2013

NASA has developed a suite of advanced arrival management technologies combining time-based scheduling 

with controller- and flight-deck-based precision-spacing 

capabilities that allow fuel-efficient arrival operations 

during periods of high throughput. An operational 

demonstration of these integrated technologies – the 

Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1, 

or ATD-1 – is slated for 2016. The focus of the Fully 

Integrated ATD-1 Technologies-2 (FIAT-2) human-inthe-loop (HITL) simulation is the development of the 

ATD-1 ground-based system for field demonstration, 

which includes terminal scheduling capabilities and 

controller advisory tools. The FAA has partnered with 

NASA to conduct these Terminal Spacing and Sequencing (TSS) HITL simulations, which utilizes the ATD-1 

ground system.

On March 4-8, shakedown runs for the FIAT-2 and 

TSS-2 HITL simulations were conducted at Ames 

Research Center to refine the algorithms used in the 

controller advisory tools, finalize the scenario used for 

data collection, validate the ATD-1 concept of operations procedures, and evaluate the effect of incorporating wind forecasts in the ATD-1 system. A small team 

from the FAA and MITRE were also present to finalize 

plans for the TSS simulations. Simulation participants 

included eight controllers and 15 pseudo pilots, who 

completed 20 simulation runs that varied wind forecast, 

scenarios and scheduling system settings. The FIAT-2 

data collection week is scheduled for the week of March 

NASA researchers prepare for FIAT shakedown simulations.

25, followed by a set of TSS simulations the first two 

weeks in April. 

(POC: Jane Thipphavong)

NASA Hosts Traffic Flow Management 

Team Meeting, March 2013

Several FAA and flight operator representatives 

involved in the Collaborative Airspace Constraint 

Resolution Phase II and Traffic Management Initiatives (TMI) Impact Modeling team met at NASA Ames 

Research Center on March 12-14. The team is investigating the available modeling and what-if analysis 

capabilities for the re-route impact assessment function. 

Current TMI modeling capabilities are available for 

the older Enhanced Traffic Management System framework, but lack an operational real-time option in the 

new Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS). 

During the meeting NASA provided a demonstration 

of the Future Air Traffic Management (ATM) Concepts 

Evaluation Tool, or FACET, software and a multiple 
19

Airspace Systems Program Newsletter: JAN–MAR 2013

metering capability, with and without passback, to an 

upstream FAA facility. This multiple metering capability is not currently available to the FAA, but they 

expressed strong interest in conducting more realistic 

evaluations of the capability. The flight delays and 

sector-load impact using the reroute TMI implementation were also demonstrated. Additionally, the team 

viewed presentations on dynamic weather routes, the 

environmental impact of aviation, and the ATD-1. 

Currently, the FAA is working with NASA to understand and integrate NASA research within TFMS. 

Additional details for the collaboration are being currently discussed. 

(POC: Dr. Kapil Sheth)

Ames Contractor Council Awards, 

March 2013

Several contractors were recognized on March 19 

with 2013 Excellence Awards from the NASA Ames 

Research Center Contractor Council. Dr. Anastasios 

(Tasos) Nikoleris was awarded an Individual Excellence 

Award for his research on two fronts: his fuel-burn 

analysis that identifies specific ways to optimize delayabsorption advisories for metering operations with the 

Efficient Decent Advisor Tool, and his development of 

an extended metering concept for the Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1, or ATD-1. In 

the category of team excellence, the Dynamic Weather 

Routes Team was recognized for its dedication and 

excellence in successfully delivering high-quality software to American Airlines’ System Operations Center 

to successfully conduct the first of a multi-phase field 

trial in collaboration with NASA. 

(POC: Todd Farley)

NASA Researchers Visit JFK Airport, 

March 2013 

On March 26-27, NASA airport surface researchers 

visited John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). 

The trip to JFK provided an excellent opportunity for 

technical exchange with operators and observation of 

airport surface operations at the JFK air traffic control 

tower, the Metering Coordination Center (MCC), and 

JetBlue Airways. JFK is the only U.S. airport that has 

a departure metering procedure to reduce the runway 

queue size by holding aircraft at the gates or in the designated holding areas, thus enabling taxi-time reduction 

and fuel savings.

 The Departure Manager Tool (DMAN) is managed 

by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 

and allows for procedures and tools for collaborative 

decision making between the MCC and participating airlines. DMAN allocates departure slots to airlines using a ration-by-schedule technique similar to 

a first-scheduled, first-served technique. Each slot has 

an associated target movement area entry time, and 

airlines are allowed to swap aircraft within the slots 

allocated to them. As a result of the trip, the NASA 

visitors gained valuable insights to inform their ongoing surface research.

(POC: Yoon Jung)
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