. a conflict detection and avoidance automation capability will be available on the ground and in the flight deck
. aircraft separation assurance rests with the ground unless it is advantageous to shift responsibility to the air
. information available to the pilot allows traffic separation to the same degree as VFR operations
The RTCA Free Flight Report indicates that the operational need of free flight is keep protected zones from touching. According to this concept, alert zones can touch but with some level of intervention by the controller. The terminal group used this concept as key assumption in their discussions about free flight in the terminal environment.
Given the definition of the terminal environment under free flight, a set of assumptions, and the RTCA's operational need of free flight concept, the terminal group defined 17 human factors issues associated with free flight in the terminal environment. These have been consolidated into the 15 areas discussed briefly below.
Resistance to Free Flight in Terminal Area
User acceptance emerged as a concern for free flight implementation. There may be resistance to the free flight concept from the aviation participants and/or the flying public. There may also be restrictions placed on free flight in the terminal environment due to environmental issues such as noise abatement.
Requirements for Different Aircraft Capabilities
Mixed equipage in the free flight environment poses a complex challenge for the free flight concept. Specifically, the different requirements for general aviation, military, commercial, and rotocraft aircraft must be fully addressed. Some aircraft may be participating in free flight while others may not. Also, there will be various levels of aircraft equipage in the system. Some operators may have no alert or detection systems. Accordingly, the way in which responsibility is distributed and separation ensured must be examined. Research on a mixed equipage environment must be conducted and requirements for the different aircraft must be established.
Distribution of Responsibility/Mixed Responsibility
In terms of responsibility distribution, the terminal group discussed the responsibility of decision making and information sharing and how that responsibility should be distributed. The discussion was focused primarily on the separation assurance function (SAF) and whose responsibility it is to ensure aircraft separation. The SAF concept is based on the underlying assumption that aircraft separation assurance rests with the ground unless it is advantageous to shift that responsibility to the air. Given this assumption, the distribution of responsibility will by dynamic in nature or event driven. Additionally, in transitioning to the free flight environment, the issue of SAF responsibility, and procedures for establishing responsibility must be investigated.
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