Feasible Time Range Analysis of Wide Fleet for Continuous Descent Arrival

In this paper, the feasible time range for the specified flight range defined from the RTA frozen waypoint to meter fix is analyzed using Trajectory Performance Analyzer framework using optimal control approach. Time cost and fuel cost are used to obtain the performance limit trajectories. To get a realistic feasible time range, several uncertainties such as descent weight and wind variation which affect trajectory performance significantly are considered. The final feasible time range of the specific aircraft type is determined by the intersection of all kind of variation results. Feasible time ranges of all arrival aircraft at KATL are calculated with specific wind case and the result shows that there exists common feasible time range for all aircraft can fly. In order to extend common feasible time range, -optimal solution concept is proposed. By this trajectory performance bound analysis in descent phase, common feasible time range of wide fleet with northwest route in Atlanta center is obtained. By analysis of top of descent point of each aircraft, marginal point at which RTA should be fixed for the success of CDA is obtained. For the application of CDA procedure in heavy traffic condition, time based CDA operation concept is proposed using single transit time strategy for all fleet. The single transit time for all fleet is determined within the common feasible time range. The numerical evaluation shows that single transit time flight in descent phase guarantees the conflict free flight if the required minimum separation for CDA procedure in TRACON is kept.