Trajectory Specification to Support High-Throughput Continuous Descent Approaches
Name
Fasoro-tfasoro-SM-AeroAstro-2022-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
Size
3.11 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1e3a132a64ed8b3ab4dc26a9990db737
Author(s)
Fasoro, Titilayo
Advisor(s)
Balakrishnan, Hamsa
Date Issued
May 2022
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Continuous descent approaches (CDAs) have demonstrated the ability to reduce aircraft fuel burn and noise, while trajectory-based operations (TBO) have been shown to improve the predictability and throughput of aircraft flows. Prior work has recognized the difficulty of implementing CDAs in high-density terminal areas due to an increase in uncertainty, which can result in a decrease in throughput. This thesis investigates whether increased throughput afforded by trajectory-based operations can be combined with continuous descent approach profiles to achieve high-throughput CDA operations. The proposed method in this thesis first determines a CDA profile via trajectory optimization, and then locates waypoints with required time of arrival (RTA) constraints along this profile, to optimize a combination of throughput and fuel burn. For representative terminal-area descent profiles at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), we find that by specifying intermediate waypoints with RTAs, it is possible to use intermediate waypoints with RTAs to increase the throughput by as much as 70%, while incurring an additional fuel burn penalty of 2% per flight.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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