Maneuver option manager: automated simplification of complex air traffic control problems

Maneuver option manager (MOM) is part of an air traffic control automation project, sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in which the computer for the first time assumes responsibility for separation assurance between en route aircraft. MOM´s purpose is to detect and simplify certain complex air traffic control problems, identified here as sets of interrelated potential pairwise separation problems. MOM determines which of six types of maneuver options is available (free of possible separation problems) for each aircraft. MOM simplifies a complex problem by protecting (for future use) an available maneuver option for one or more of the involved aircraft. Routinely, a single maneuver option resolves multiple pairwise problems. MOM´s actions cause complex problems to be iteratively broken down into independent, smaller, and less complex problems