Flight Test Experience Using Advanced Airborne Equipment in a Time-Based Metered Traffic Environment

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center's Terminal Configured Vehicle (TCV) Program, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is pursuing research and technology concept development for airborne systems, operations and procedures that can provide needed improvements and solutions to air transportation problems for conventional civil aircraft particularly for the 1990-2000 time period. Specifically, it is to provide the airborne systems capability which can lead to increased airport and runway capacity, increased energy efficient terminal area operations, reduced weather dependence with safety and reduced community noise by use of improved flight procedures. This paper describes the results of flight tests to evaluate flight management descent computations designed to accurately deliver the airplane in a fuel efficient manner to a metering fix at a time designed by air traffic control (ATC).