FLIGHT TESTING OF NOISE ABATING RNP PROCEDURES AND STEEP APPROACHES

To test different types of noise abatement approach procedures the Institute of Flight Guidance and the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology performed flight tests on the 6th September 2010 with a Boeing 737-700. In total 13 approaches to the Research Airport in Brunswick were flown while the approach area of the airport was equipped with six noise measurement microphones. Brunswick airport is equipped with an experimental ground based augmentation system (GBAS) which allows the implementation of 48 ILS lookalike precision approach procedures with different approach angles simultaneously

Using RNP AR for Noise-Abating Approach Procedures

This paper describes RNP AR approach procedures which have been designed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Flight Guidance in the course of the LufoIV project HETEREX. The approaches purpose is to reduce the noise impact of approaching aircraft at an airport. Approaches with vertical guidance need a straight segment of about 10 NM prior to touchdown due to technical and operational, i.e. safety reasons. In case settlements are located on the extended centreline nearer than 10 NM to the airport, these settlements can not be circumnavigated. With GPS and vertical navigation based on the barometric system, approaches with vertical guidance do not need a straight segment of 10 NM prior to touchdown anymore. Those approaches have first been developed and certified for mountainous regions, where straight segments of up to 10 NM were impossible due to the terrain around the airport. Operations to these airports were limited to good weather situations only. With the precision of GPS in conjunction with a barometric vertical navigation system (BARO VNAV), those airports can now be operated to in much more inclement weather situations regarding visibility and cloud bases. In 2010, ICAO released a certification guideline for those approaches with curved segments nearer than 10 NM to the airport, called RNP AR for Required Navigation Performance, Authorization Required. In Germany, no airports with the need for RNP AR approaches due to mountainous terrain exist. Nevertheless, RNP AR approaches with their possibility of curved segments nearer than 10 NM prior to touchdown provide the possibility to design approaches which avoid settlements that lie under the extended centreline of a runway and are nearer than 10 NM to an airport. In this paper, five approaches to the airport of Nuremberg are presented which lead approaching aircraft around several towns near Nuremberg which with the currently applied approach procedures can not be circumnavigated and thus are impacted by the noise of arrival traffic. These approaches show how RNP AR can be used to improve airports’ acceptance by surrounding communities. The five example approaches at Nuremberg are presented together with the design rules that determine their exact shape as well as the population areas that can be circumnavigated with these approaches. Their potential to further reduce fuel consumption and thus production of CO2 by shortening the length of approach procedures is also presented. The approaches have undergone a first flyability assessment in a full-flight simulator

Steep Segemented Approaches for Active Noise Abatement – a Flyaility Study

Aircraft noise is already a major constraint at many airports. Increase in airport capacity can often only be achieved if noise abatement measures are taken to protect people living around the airport. For active noise abatement basically two means of noise reduction exist. On the one hand, noise generated by airframe and engine can be reduced. On the other hand, noise impact can be decreased by increasing the distance between the aircraft generating the noise and noise sensitive areas on the ground. The latter can be achieved either by lateral avoidance of such areas or by a higher vertical flight profile. The paper deals with a steeper approach profile to increase altitude of the aircraft during approach. To allow a standard 3° landing and thus a higher rate of applicability the vertical approach profile is divided into 2 segments. It starts at about 8000ft AGL with a 4,5° slope. At about 1500 ft AGL the approach slope transitions into a standard 3° slope, intercepting the glide slope from above. The flyability of this approach has been tested in different fullflight training simulators of TUIfly, Condor and Lufthansa. It has been successfully tested with the following aircraft types: Airbus A320-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A340-600, Airbus A380-800, Boeing B737-800, Boeing B747-8, and Boeing B767-300. Results of the simulator trials and future activities are presented and discussed in this contribution

Continuous Descent Approaches - Validation in Simulation and Flight Trials

The application of Continuous Descent Approaches (CDA) is an innovative method to reduce the noise that can be heard on the ground of airplanes during their landing approach. The CDA’s main characteristic is a continuous descent from an altitude at which the airplane is inaudible on the ground to the touchdown on the runway. The point at which this descent is commenced has to be determined in advance for each approach. The Institute of Flight Guidance of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has developed an Advanced Flight Management System (AFMS) that is able to calculate CDAs and also to guide the airplane along the approach. The calculations are based on BADA-files (Base of Aircraft Data) provided by Eurocontrol, enabling the AFMS to determine CDAs for almost any transport airplane types. This paper describes after a general explanation of CDAs and the AFMS how the AFMS’ CDA calculations and guidance function have been validated during flight trials and tests in a full flight simulator on different airplane types. Generally, the airplane has stayed within 150 feet of the predetermined flight path and three seconds around the pre-dicted time of arrival in simulator tests and 10 seconds in real world flight trials

FLIGHT TESTING STEEP SEGMENTED APPROACHES FOR NOISE ABATEMENT

The paper deals with a steeper approach profile to increase altitude of the aircraft during approach. To allow a standard 3° landing and thus a higher rate of applicability the vertical approach profile is divided into 2 segments. It starts at about 8000ft AGL with a 4,5° slope. At about 1500 ft AGL the approach slope transitions into a standard 3° slope, intercepting the glide slope from above. A previous publication [ICNS 2014] already reported about successfully testing this kind of procedure in various fullflight training simulators of TUIfly, Condor and Lufthansa. This contribution will report about first flight trials which took place with a Condor B 767-300 in Frankfurt and a TUIfly B737-800 in Hanover. Results of these flight trials including noise measurements and future activities are presented and discussed

Steeper Approach – Forschungsprojekt des DLR und FFR

Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die im Auftrag des FFR/UNH durchgeführte Studie zum Steep-Segmented Approach. Beim Steep-Segmented Approach beginnt der Anflug aus ca. 8000ft Höhe mit einem 4.49° Steilsegment und schneidet den ILS-Gleitpfad bei ca. 1500ft von oben an. Abnschließend wird der Anflug auf dem Standard 3.0° oder 3.2° ILS zuende geführt. Es werden die Ergebnisse aus Fliegbarkeitsuntersuchungen in Trainingsfullflightsimulatoren von Condor, Lufthansa und Tuifly vorgestellt. Hier wurden diese Anflüge mit den Mustern A320, A330, A340-600, A380, B373, B767 und B747-8 gestestet. Weiterhin wird über Flugversuche und Lärmmessungen mit einer Condior B767-300 am Frankfurter Flughafen berichtet

Operational Feasibility Analysis Of Steep Segmented Approaches

The paper deals with a steeper approach profile to increase altitude of the aircraft during approach for noise mitigation. To allow a standard 3° landing and thus a higher rate of applicability the vertical approach profile is divided into 2 segments. It starts at about 8000ft AGL with a 4,5° slope. At about 1500 ft AGL the approach slope transitions into a standard 3° slope, intercepting the glide slope from above. Previous publications already reported about successfully testing this kind of procedure in various full-flight training simulators and flight trials with a Condor B 767-300 in Frankfurt and a TUIfly B737-800 in Hanover. This contribution addresses the operational feasibility of integrated such approaches into the arrival stream of Frankfurt airport. Several approaches using different arrival concepts will be discussed and analyzed with respect to capacity and safety

Green Trajectories in High Traffic TMAs

New conflicting future demands in air travel like gain of capacity and coexistent reduction of environmental impact necessitate new airborne functions and a better integration of these capabilities in air traffic management (ATM). DLR’s Advanced Flight Management System proved a highly accurate predictability of 4D trajectories in flight trials with the A330-300 Full Flight Simulator of ZFB Berlin and DLR’s test aircraft ATTAS, a VFW 614 twin engine jet transport aircraft modified for research purposes. Due to an inefficient air-ground integration current terminal manoeuvring area (TMA) concepts do not support 4D-capable aircraft in flying fuel efficient and noise abating profiles. A trajectory based TMA handling is necessary to combine aircraft optimized flight profiles with high airport efficiency. This paper presents results of advanced continuous descent approaches (CDA) flight trials with the research aircraft ATTAS and simulation trials with the A330 full flight simulator. Furthermore, a trajectory based TMA concept is introduced as a possible solution for the current trade-off between green trajectories and high airport capacity even in high traffic situations

Requirements on a 4D Flight Management System

This document describes the requirements on a 4D Flight Management System needed to evaluate the concepts and systems developed within the project flexiGuide. These requirements will not be used to build a real 4D-FMS. Within this part of flexiGuide air traffic simulations will be performed for evaluation. Therefore the requirements aim on building a simulation module emulating the functionality of a real 4D-FMS