KNOWLEDGE-BASED RUNWAY ASSIGNMENT FOR ARRIVAL AIRCRAFT IN THE TERMINAL AREA

A knowledge-based system for scheduling arrival traffic in the terminal area, referred to as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), has been implemented and operationally tested at the Dallas/Fort Worth Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility. Two types of controller advisories are generated by FAST: sequence number and runway assignment. The knowledge base for runway assignment employs a set of hierarchical rules and decision logic that evaluates both performance and workload criteria. This formulation is based on over 2,000 hours of controller-in-the-loop, real-time simulations. In the field tests, controllers had the option to accept or reject the FASTgenerated runway assignments. Results indicate strong adherence to the advisories and increased capacity, with no significant impact on controller workload.