Patent ID: 8467919

Claim:
A method of optimizing a descent trajectory of an aircraft comprising the steps of, in a processor: A. receiving a predicted descent trajectory comprising a plurality of points including a start point and an end point; B. receiving meteorological information for the plurality of points to establish a number of meteorological data points along the predicted descent trajectory; C. determining a fuel cost and a time cost at each of the meteorological data points along the predicted descent trajectory; D. determining if the number of meteorological data points exceeds a predetermined maximum and if the number does not exceed the predetermined maximum, then selecting all of the meteorological data points and proceeding to step L; E. removing redundant meteorological data points from the number of meteorological data points along the predicted descent trajectory; F. initializing variables related to time estimation and fuel burn estimation; G. selecting a subset of the meteorological data points; H. generating a subset wind profile along the predicted descent trajectory for subset of the meteorological data points; I. determining a fuel cost for the subset and a time cost for the subset at each of the meteorological data points of the subset based upon the wind profile and recording the subset of the meteorological data points, the fuel cost for the subset and the time cost for the subset; J. determining if a predetermined maximum number of subsets have been selected and if the predetermined maximum number of subsets has not been selected, then returning to step F; K. calculating a weighted fuel burn and time error for each recorded subset of the meteorological data points and selecting the meteorological data points corresponding to a subset having a minimum weighted fuel burn and time error; L. storing in a non-transitory medium the selected meteorological data points as a usable subset of meteorological data points; and M. calculating in the processor an optimized descent trajectory based on the stored usable subset.