Patent ID: 7194353

Claim:
A method for determining a flight path for an aircraft between an initial point and a destination point, comprising: (a) dividing an airspace encompassing an initial point and a destination point into a plurality of grid cells; (b) identifying a flight path between the initial point and the destination point; (c) calculating a cumulative threat risk value for each of the grid cells; (d) establishing an allowable threat risk per grid cell based on a rule set; (e) if the threat risk value of any of the grid cells intersecting the flight path exceeds the allowable threat risk per grid cell, identifying an intermediate point from which to deviate the flight path based upon an analysis of the cumulative threat risk values of the grid cells; (f) identifying a deviation from the intermediate point to a new intermediate point such that the new intermediate point has a cumulative threat risk value lower than or equal to the allowable threat risk per grid cell; (g) adjusting the flight path between the initial point and the destination point to pass through the new intermediate point, thereby providing a modified flight path; and (h) repeating steps (e)–(g) until each grid cell intersected by the modified flight path has a cumulative threat risk value below the allowable threat risk per grid cell, or until another stopping condition is met.