Real-time aircraft noise likeness detector

One of the most difficult tasks involved in the process of noise monitoring near airports is related to the automatic detection and classification of aircraft noise events. These tasks can be solved by applying pattern recognition techniques to the audio signal captured by a microphone. But now the problem is caused by the background noise, which is present in real environments. This paper proposes a real-time method for continuously tracking the similarity of the input sound and the aircraft’s sounds. Using these facilities, the monitoring unit will be able to mark aircraft events, or to make measurements only when aircraft sound is louder than background noise. A one-class approach has been applied to this detection-by-classification method. Using the default setup, 93% of the aircraft’s events which held an SNR of 6–8 dB were detected, for 30 different locations with diverse soundscapes

Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research, 1991-1992

This report summarizes the research conducted during the academic year 1991-1992 under the FAA/NASA sponsored Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research. The year end review was held at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, June 18-19, 1992. The Joint University Program is a coordinated set of three grants sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA Langley Research Center, one each with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (NGL-22-009-640), Ohio University (NGR-36-009-017), and Princeton University (NGL-31-001-252). Completed works, status reports, and annotated bibliographies are presented for research topics, which include navigation, guidance and control theory and practice, intelligent flight control, flight dynamics, human factors, and air traffic control processes. An overview of the year's activities for each university is also presented

Design and development of a controllable wing loading unmanned aerial system

Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial systems (UAS) offer all the benefits of wing borne flight without the need for conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) infrastructure. There exists many effective VTOL UAS that utilize battery-powered rotors to provide vertical thrust. The problem with the existing UAS is that the VTOL capability is achieved at the sacrifice of speed, fuel/payload, and operational flexibility. Also, many of these UAS must transition from hover to horizontal flight which is both complex and risky.The current research explores a new type of point launch and landing system that utilizes only liquid fuels, i.e. no electric powered rotors. Instead of exposed rotors, the new configuration has a turbojet engine mounted vertically inside the fuselage to provide vertical thrust. With the turbojet being 'hidden' from the freestream air, it mitigates the drag seen from the other configurations' rotors, allowing a higher top speed. Also, the new configuration bypasses the hover and transition phases of flight.The vertical turbojet effectively changes the weight of the aircraft which allows it to have controllable wing loading (CWL), and therefore variable stall speed. With the jet at full power, the aircraft weighs virtually nothing and can takeoff from the launchpad with almost no airspeed. Likewise, on landing, the aircraft can slow to almost zero airspeed and land with little to no rollout. The CWL configuration has proved it possible to have approximately a 95% reduction in landing distance.This paper describes the study, design, manufacturing, and testing of the point launch and landing CWL configuration. Two commercial off the shelf (COTS) UAVs were retrofitted with a CWL system to test the validity of the idea and the necessary systems.Following the proof of the idea, a composite UAS with a maximum takeoff weight of 50 lb. was designed, manufactured, and flown. It successfully demonstrated both a point launch and point landing while being capable of reaching speeds of up to 100 mph, more than double the top speed of some other VTOL UAS in its weight class

Highlights of 1981 activities

The highlights of NASA's 1981 activities are presented, including the results of the two flights of the space shuttle Columbia and the Voyager 2 encounter with Saturn. Accomplishments in the areas of space transportation operations; space science; aeronautical, energy, and space research and development; as well as space tracking, international activities, and 1981 launch activities are discussed

Models and algorithms for transient queueing congestion at a hub airport

Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-37).Supported by a grant from Draper Laboratory and a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.Dimitris Bertsimas, Michael D. Peterson and Amedeo R. Odoni

Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research, 1989-1990

Research conducted during the academic year 1989-90 under the NASA/FAA sponsored Joint University Program for Air Transportation research is discussed. Completed works, status reports and annotated bibliographies are presented for research topics, which include navigation, guidance and control theory and practice, aircraft performance, human factors, and expert systems concepts applied to airport operations. An overview of the year's activities for each university is also presented

Review and evaluation of national airspace system models

Cover titleOctober 1979Includes bibliographical references (p. B1-B32)Abstract from Technical Report Documentation Page: This report is intended to serve as a guide to the availability and capability of state-of-the-art analytical and simulation models of the National Airspace System (NAS). An extensive literature search produced a listing of 230 reports potentially containing technical descriptions of models developed during the last decade. These reports are classified into primary categories based on applicability of the model to various aspects of the NAS. Capacity/delay models are classified as capacity-oriented runway, delay-oriented runway, complete airport, terminal airspace. air route traffic (including communications), controller workload and performance, and models of major segments of the NAS. Reports describing models primarily concerned with safety-related measures and noise-related measures are categorized separately. Reports were initially screened to eliminate those known to have been superseded by a subsequent report, and those containing inadequate or inconsequential technical information concerning models. The remaining reports (approximately 180) were subjected to a detailed review. The results of this review are documented for each of the 50 distinct models described by the selected reports. Information contained in each model review includes report ID, abstract, input/output parameters, computer-related characteristics, assumptions, quality of documentation, extent of validation, and an evaluation of the model's usefulness and limitations. Another part of the report contains a comparative evaluation of models in the same primary category. These evaluations present an overview of the models contained in each category, summarize the main features of the best models, and document the conclusions and recommendations regarding the models best suited for specific applications.Prepared for U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Systems Engineering Managemen

Networked control of aircraft operations at airports and in terminal areas

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 149-157).The goal of this thesis is to develop a control strategy for airport operations that integrates the management of arrivals and departures. The strategy is based on four central ideas: (1) the objective of reducing aircraft flight times, taxi times and fuel burn, (2) the emphasis on developing models using data from actual aircraft operations, (3) the need to be compatible with current air traffic control procedures, and (4) the requirement to not adversely affect airport performance. The scope of this work covers the airport surface and arrival airspace, which are two of the most congested regions of the air transportation network. A new approach is proposed for modeling airport surface operations. Drawing an analogy from the field of network congestion control, the airport surface is assumed to be a network consisting of major taxiways and their intersections. Posing the problem in this framework relaxes the requirement of precisely predicting the taxi time of each aircraft, instead emphasizing the accurate representation of the underlying stochastic processes. At the same time, it allows one to address the issues of network stability and performance through analytical approaches. Based on this model for surface operations, a control algorithm is developed for regulating the time of entry of aircraft into the network. Simulations show that this strategy can significantly reduce surface congestion and aircraft fuel burn without hampering airport performance. The arrival airspace control algorithm presented in this thesis proposes a hybrid centralized / distributed algorithm for conflict detection and resolution. It combines distributed control in low-density airspace with centralized control in high-density terminal areas. This approach has the advantage of reducing ground infrastructure cost due to decentralization, while still operating at an efficiency level close to that of a fully centralized control strategy. The arrival and departure control algorithms are then combined to formulate an integrated strategy for managing airport operations, significantly improving the separate gains that can be obtained from each component.by Harshad Khadilkar.Ph. D

Design of automated system for management of arrival traffic

The design of an automated air traffic control system based on a hierarchy of advisory tools for controllers is described. Compatibility of the tools with the human controller, a key objective of the design, is achieved by a judicious selection of tasks to be automated and careful attention to the design of the controller system interface. The design comprises three interconnected subsystems referred to as the Traffic Management Advisor, the Descent Advisor, and the Final Approach Spacing Tool. Each of these subsystems provides a collection of tools for specific controller positions and tasks. The design of two of these tools, the Descent Advisor, which provides automation tools for managing descent traffic, and the Traffic Management Advisor, which generates optimum landing schedules is focused on. The algorithms, automation modes, and graphical interfaces incorporated in the design are described

Wind Shear/Turbulence Inputs to Flight Simulation and Systems Certification

The purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for industry, universities, and government to assess current status and likely future requirements for application of flight simulators to aviation safety concerns and system certification issues associated with wind shear and atmospheric turbulence. Research findings presented included characterization of wind shear and turbulence hazards based on modeling efforts and quantitative results obtained from field measurement programs. Future research thrusts needed to maximally exploit flight simulators for aviation safety application involving wind shear and turbulence were identified. The conference contained sessions on: Existing wind shear data and simulator implementation initiatives; Invited papers regarding wind shear and turbulence simulation requirements; and Committee working session reports