Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan

Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Observation

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Slam Dunk Appraoches

Flight paths which involve high rates of descent in the last stages of the approach push the airplane near the limit of the its performance capability.

Slam Dunk Descents

Descend

SymonHold

Escalation of the Situation

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Flight PlanVertical Target

Descend

Symon

Delay 1 Resume Vertical Target

Clearance

Resume verticaltarget within current automation strategy

Hold

Descend

Symon

Delay 2 Vertical Speed, VNAV Recapture

Hold

Descend

Clearance

Switch autmoation strategy to a target vertical speed

Use VNAV to recapture the path

Symon

Delay 3 Vertical Speed, Hit Waypoint, Then Recapture

Hold

Descend

Clearance

Switch autmoation strategy to a target vertical speed

Use VNAV to recapture the path

Symon

Delay 4 Replan Descent Route

SymonHold

Descend

Clearance

Too much energy to make the waypoint, need to request a new descent path

Slam Dunk Scenarios

Ideal continuious descent path through the way point on route to the landing.

With only a minor delay the pilot can easly rejoin the original flight path and recapture before the way point.

Longer alt. holds are managable but require more effort on the pilots behalf to slow the plane down.

A longer hold can still be achieved if the piolit is expirenced enough to slow the plane down and recapture after the way point.

If the pilot is inexpirenced or ATC holds them for too long the waypoint could be missed intirly inwhich time and fuel is spend to cicrle around and recapture the path.

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Analysis

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Task Analysis

As ATC has a plane at an alitiude restriction time is passing yet the next way point in the flight plan is constant. Initially this might not be a problem, but as air traffic increases wait times get longer and pilots are pressured to still make the goals. How does the pilot manage this timeline? What can aid him in this decision making?

Long Term Goals

Safe & efficient landing

1. Plan

Actions

Communicate with ATC

Anticipations

Potential delays

3. Slam Dunk

Actions

Descend by specifying

vertical speed

Anticipations

Recapture action

2. Deviation

Actions

Regulate horizontal

thrust & drag.

Anticipations

Descent path

4. Recapture

Actions

Recapture the path

Anticipations

Landing

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Task Analysis

Information for the pilot in these high pressure environments is dispersed throughout the cockpit. Putting a lot of cognative work onto the pilot to create mental models of the situation and make key decisions accordingly.

Vertical Descet Rate

Horizontal Speed

Vertical Deviation Scale

Altitude & Vertical SpeedHorizontial Situation Display

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Resources

In the slam dunk scenario specific informaion is needed to judge if the way point can be achieved. Judgement is left to the pilot if the way point can be achieved. Currently there is no way of knowing what possibilities exist until action is taken.

Recapture expectancyThe green arc is displayed only durring descents and acts as a preview to the planes “landing” relative to the waypoint. If a step enough angle of descent is not chosen the green arc will not fall below Symon and the waypoint will be missed.

Vertial and Horizontial deviationFrom the horizontial display the pilot can assess the headings to confirm that the plane is not deviating from the flight plan horizontially. The guage in the lower right corner shows vertial deviation in three stages too high, good, and too low.

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Ideation

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Ideation

Understanding the planes position in the world relative to its goals was key. With the addition of time putting pressure on the situation we looked for ways to understand how expert pilots mentally map the situation.

Before computer systems pilots used p[erspective to understand their position in the air and the rates they were traveling.

Waypoint

Plan Intersection

Initiate Recapture

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Ideation

Visualizing the scenario was key to understanding how time effects available options in the decision making process. As time passed by and the plane got closer to the way point potiential diminished like the area of the flashlight as it gets closer to the wall.

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Ideation

Visualizing the relationships between speeds and position allow the pilot to take in the information, see the rates of change and guage where they will be in the future without having to give them every possible outcome.

Currently pilots do calculations in there heads to decide if a waypoint can be reached in time, but they don’t know at what rates these possibilities decrease.

Descend by specifying

vertical speedRegulate horizontal

thrust & drag.

! X

! Y

"

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Recapture Forecasting Display

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Recapture Forecasting Display

Understanding where you are, where you need to be and the possibilities decreasing over time where all key to the slam dunk scenario. As the angle from Symon increases greater vertical speeds are needed to recapture the way point.

Max

Vert

ical

Des

cent

Rat

e ft

/s

Horizontal Speed Knots

340

0

500

1,000

1,500

Symon

Managing Deviations From The Flight Plan Zach KraneKris MartinAaron PiazzaLuke Woods

ART 483UW IxD + BoeingWinter 2008

Recapture Forecasting Display

Animating rates to inform the pilot aids in the decision making process without giving the user too much information.

Holding at a restricted alt. your green arc is idle, you have full potiential and are within your capibilities.

As you continue to hold your possibilites are shrinking and the angle of Symon to your is increasing

You lower your horizontial speed to slow the rattes of change and buy yourself more time.

Your increase your descent rate to recapture Symon as you get closer to your way point

Once ATC clears you you know from the display the needed rate of descent and the given speed and dial it in.

Once the lower cicrle diminishes you have reached the way point.