A mid-term terminal concept of operations: Evaluation and evolution analysis

To address the increasing need for improved capacity, efficiency, and controller productivity in the National Airspace System (NAS) while maintaining the Federal Aviation Administration´s (FAA) commitment to safety, the MITRE Corporation´s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), defined a concept of operations for terminal arrival and departure operations for the mid-term timeframe identified in the FAA´s Operational Evolution Partnership (OEP). Projected increases in traffic levels for the mid-term and controller workforce attrition are some of the primary factors driving the need for these improvements. CAASD also defined key evolution steps to achieve this concept of operations. This paper describes these envisioned mid-term terminal operations, simulation and analysis that were done to evaluate the benefits and feasibility of these operations, and describe evolution steps for achieving the operations. The benefits of different sets of operational tools and capabilities were evaluated through a series of human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations involving certified professional controllers.