Cost Index-based Cruise Flight Trajectory Optimization

In order to reduce the operating cost of a flight, a new optimization algorithm based on cost index (CI) that combines the cost of fuel and time is presented to generate the reference cruise flight trajectory. Cruise speed optimization at a constant altitude can be formulated as an optimal control problem solved by Pontryagin's maximum principle and the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. In the troposphere, the economy cruise speed is approximately linear with the cruising altitude which can be linearly fitted by least squares. The optimal altitude is obtained by taking the aircraft performance and air traffic regulation into account. Simulation results of a Boeing 747–200 model demonstrate that the proposed solution is faster than the search method and more economical than the reference trajectory provided by Eurocontrol's Base of Aircraft Data (BADA).

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