Computation of global trajectories of commercial transport aircraft

Abstract

A trajectory computation tool designed to compute global trajectories (from take off to landing) of commercial transport aircraft is presented. The global trajectory is defined by a general flight intent, considering flight segments usually flown by transport aircraft, including standard airline procedures, and air traffic control regulations. The computation is based on a trajectory computation solver designed for a general aircraft performance model (general drag polar and general engine model); the formulation takes into account wind effects and temperature corrections for a non-standard atmosphere. In the computation of the global trajectory, the top-of-descent point is determined iteratively, using the actual aircraft weight computed along the flight. Global properties such as total fuel consumption and flight time are computed; the influence of the actual take-off weight is analysed, as well as the effects of wind and non-standard temperatures. The computation tool provides a quantitative evaluation of these effects. Results are presented for a medium-range global trajectory and a model of a typical twin-engine, wide-body and, transport aircraft.