Performance-Based Navigation Flight Path Analysis Using Fast-Time Simulation

The growing demand for air transportation has led to an increase in worldwide air traffic inefficiency due to capacity constraints. The impacts associated with this situation can be reduced through operational changes. To better handle the problem, the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) and the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) program suggest Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) as a solution. The Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approaches belong to the group of PBN procedures. These procedures allow for a more efficient use of airspace by reducing route distances, fuel consumption and perceived aircraft noise. This article quantifies the benefits of PBN systems for two indicator parameters—fuel burn and flight time—and compares PBN systems to conventional instrument navigation procedures. The case studies use five airports in Brazil. The results of this analysis show that the benefits of the PBN approach vary with aircraft type and individual route characteristics.

Lidar Data Reduction for Unmanned Systems Navigation in Urban Canyon

This paper introduces a novel protocol for managing low altitude 3D aeronautical chart data to address the unique navigational challenges and collision risks associated with populated urban environments. Based on the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) 3D Tiles standard for geospatial data delivery, the proposed extension, called 3D Tiles Nav., uses a navigation-centric packet structure which automatically decomposes the navigable regions of space into hyperlocal navigation cells and encodes environmental surfaces that are potentially visible from each cell. The developed method is sensor agnostic and provides the ability to quickly and conservatively encode visibility directly from a region by enabling an expanded approach to viewshed analysis. In this approach, the navigation cells themselves are used to represent the intrinsic positional uncertainty often needed for navigation. Furthermore, we present in detail this new data format and its unique features as well as a candidate framework illustrating how an Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system could support trajectory-based operations and performance-based navigation in the urban canyon. Our results, experiments, and simulations conclude that this data reorganization enables 3D map streaming using less bandwidth and efficient 3D map-matching systems with limited on-board compute, storage, and sensor resources.

Rotorcraft in the Performance Based Navigation International Civil Aviation Organization Implementation

European Commision adopted in July new regulations about laying down airspace usage requirements and operating procedures concerning performance based navigation. It is next step in realization of the the global program PBN ICAO. At the 36th General Assembly of ICAO held in 2007, the Republic of Poland agreed to ICAO resolution A36-23 which urges all States to implement PBN. In future aviation concepts the use of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is considered to be a major Air Traffic Management (ATM) concept element. ICAO has drafted standards and implementation guidance for PBN in the ICAO Doc 9613 “PBN Manual”. The Based Performance Navigation Concept represents and shift from sensor-based to performance based navigation connected with criteria for navigation: accuracy, integrity, availability, continuity and functionality depending on the phase of the flight. Through PBN and changes in the communication, surveillance and ATM domain, many advanced navigation applications are possible to improve airspace efficiency, improve airport sustainability, reduce the environmental impact of air transport in terms of noise and emission, increase safety and improve flight efficiency.