Continuous Descent:
Moving forward with the Flight Profile Monitor
Flight Profile Monitor (FPM) is an environmental tool developed by NATS that can track aircraft performance at any phase of flight, enabling us to look at detailed characteristics to determine a flight’s efficiency.
First deployed into our UK ATC units in 2011, its initial focus was on monitoring the achievement of continuous climb and descent operations at NATS’ UK airport ATC units.
Its main benefit is to provide ATC, airports and airlines with access to information about the environmental performance of arriving and departing aircraft that was simply not available before. FPM’s data therefore provides new opportunities for saving fuel, cutting CO2 emissions and reducing noise in communities under flight paths.
Bristol Continuous Descent Trial
Following the trial we ran at Edinburgh in 2012, there has continued to be considerable interest from airports and airlines in FPM. In September 2013, we ran a further trial with easyJet at Bristol Airport to improve continuous descent achievement. With combined effort from NATS Operational Analysis, NATS Bristol ATC, NATS Environment and easyJet base captain and crew we saw a remarkable 11% increase in CDA achievement during the trial month.
We followed up the trial with detailed analysis of the flights that didn’t achieve CDA and are now building on this insight and experience as we move into the next phase with FPM.
Sustainable Aviation CDO Improvement Campaign
The launch of the Sustainable Aviation Noise Roadmap in 2013 was broadly welcomed by stakeholders as it demonstrated that the aviation industry’s investment in new technology for engines and airframes can de-couple aviation growth from noise impacts. As technology improvements can take time to penetrate the aircraft operational fleet, there were also questions from stakeholders keen to understand what further action the industry could take to reduce noise in the short term.
As Chair organisation of the Sustainable Aviation Operational Improvements and Noise Working Groups, NATS has responded to this challenge by adopting the lead role in a UK-wide Sustainable Aviation campaign to improve continuous descent achievement. Continuous descents have a triple benefit: reduced noise, reduced CO2 emissions and reduced fuel costs.
This year Sustainable Aviation has set its sights on achieving a step change in CDO performance especially beyond the major London airports where CDO achievement is already excellent.
The campaign is due to launch in the second half of 2014 and NATS flight profile monitor is proving the perfect tool to establish a UK baseline for CDO performance as well as offering the opportunity for airlines and airports, who may not have their own CDO monitoring tool, the ability to receive detailed performance analysis.
