Patent ID: 7240018

Claim:
A system for rapidly generating pilot training schedules for all pilots of an entire airline, which comprises: user communication means for receiving user requests for said pilot training schedules and input data from a user; optimization processor means in electrical communication with said user communication means for receiving said user requests and said input data, and in response to said user requests generating optimal pilot training schedules rapidly for all pilots of said entire airline from said input data, wherein said optimization processor generates a mixed integer programming model of an optimizer session as follows in response to said daily training schedule, and solves said mixed integer programming model to provide detailed optimal pilot training schedules; ∑ i ∈ I , ⁢ j ∈ J ⁢ ⁢ C ij ⁢ x ij + ∑ l ∈ L , ⁢ m ∈ M , ⁢ n ∈ N ⁢ ⁢ C lmn ⁢ y lmn , wherein said mixed integer programming model includes the following constraints: ∑ j ∈ E ⁡ ( i ) ⁢ x ij = 1 , ⁢ where ⁢ ⁢ ∀ i | i ⁢ ⁢ corresponds ⁢ ⁢ to ⁢ ⁢ a ⁢ ⁢ class ⁢ ⁢ assignment ; ( i ) ∑ j ∈ E ⁡ ( i ) ⁢ ⁢ x ij ≤ 1 , where ⁢ ⁢ ∀ i | ⁢ i ⁢ ⁢ corresponds ⁢ ⁢ to ⁢ ⁢ a ⁢ ⁢ recurrent ⁢ ⁢ training ⁢ ⁢ assignment ; (ii) ∑ l ∈ E ⁡ ( i ) ⁢ ⁢ x ij ≤ 1 , ⁢ where ⁢ ⁢ ∀ j ; (iii) ∑ j ∈ P 1 ⁡ ( i , ⁢ k ) ⁢ ⁢ x ij - ∑ j ∈ P 2 ⁡ ( i , ⁢ k ) ⁢ ⁢ x ij ≤ 0 , where ⁢ ⁢ ∀ i , ⁢ ⁢ k | ⁢ CGD ⁢ ⁢ i ⁢ ⁢ needs ⁢ ⁢ a ⁢ ⁢ DPD ⁢ ⁢ on ⁢ ⁢ the ⁢ ⁢ following ⁢ ⁢ day ; ⁢ and ⁢ ( iv ) ∑ i ∈ I ′ ⁢ ⁢ ∑ j ∈ E ⁡ ( i ) ⁢ ⁢ x ij ≤ D lm + EG lm ⁢ ∑ n ∈ N ⁢ ⁢ W n * y lmn , ⁢ where ⁢ ⁢ ∀ l , ⁢ m , ( v ) and data storage means in electrical communication with said optimization processor means for storing said input data, said user requests, and said optimal pilot training schedules for access by said user, wherein J ε E(i) is the set of Device Period Days (DPD) j that can be assigned to Class Group Days (CGD) i; i ε E(j) is the set of CDG ithat DPD j can serve; j ε P 1 (i,k) is the DPD j that can be assigned to CGD i in device period k; j ε P 2 (i,k) is the set of DPD j that can be assigned to the same class group represented by CGDi on the following training day if the two days are scheduled on consecutive calendar days and CDGi is assigned in the device period k; C ij is the cost of assignment of CGD i to DPD j; C lmn is the balancing of cost of level n for training type l in month m; W n is the threshold weight of level n; D lm is the number of student groups who are due recurrent training of type 1 in month m; EG lm is the number of student groups who are due recurrent training of type l in month m−1 but can be trained late plus the number of pilots who are due recurrent training of type l in month m+1 but can be trained early; x ij is 1 if DPD j is assigned to CGD i and 0 otherwise; and y lmn is 1 if threshold is reached and 0 otherwise.