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EUROCONTROL > Research & Development > PHARE > Concepts > Flight Path Monitoring 

Flight Path Monitoring
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Output of Flight Path Monitor
 Output of Flight Path Monitor (Click for larger image)
Flight Path Monitoring within the PHARE experiments was carried out by the Flight Path Monitor (FPM) one of the PHARE Advanced Tools toolset.

The FPM compares the 4D tracked positions of aircraft against their 4D planned positions so as to detect deviations between them. Deviations are calculated in three dimensions; laterally, longitudinally and vertically. For each direction, deviations are characterised as being insignificant, medium, or large. The thresholds for detecting insignificant, medium and large deviations are determined by the Trajectory Predictor (in terms of the dimensions of the contract tube and the large deviation tube). The contract tube defines the boundaries of a volume of airspace around the contracted trajectory, which is the trajectory along which the aircraft is contracted to fly. The large deviation tube defines the boundaries of a volume of airspace around the airspace defined by the contract tube, which defines the boundaries of ‘recoverable errors’.
  Further details of Trajectory Prediction
A deviation is classed as insignificant if the aircraft is within its contract tube. A deviation is classed as medium if the aircraft is outside its contract tube but within its large deviation tube. Finally, a deviation is classed as large if the aircraft is outside its large deviation tube.

Key operational concepts

In accordance with the 4D ATM philosophy, the purpose of the FPM is to support non-4D equipped aircraft in realising their 4D planned trajectories and to signal both the deviations of the actual positions of all aircraft from the corresponding 4D planned flight paths and the trends of those deviations. In order to fulfil this purpose, the FPM performs the following two functions:
  • The detection of differences between actual aircraft positions and planned 4D flight paths.
  • The provision of ground supported navigation in unequipped directions.

Detection of Deviations

The purpose of the deviation detection function of the FPM is to alert the human controller, the pilot, and other tools whenever the deviation of the actual path of an aircraft from its planned 4D flight path is significant. Tracks are the information received from the track server (for example position and speed information).
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Providing Ground Supported Navigation

For the 4D ATM philosophy to be successful it was foreseen that non-4D equipped aircraft must be supported in their navigation. Whereas 4D equipped aircraft are generally able to cope with deviations from their planned trajectories that are due to modelling errors in their Flight Management System (FMS) or unexpected meteorological conditions, non-4D equipped aircraft are not. Together with the fact that a significant part of the total fleet of aircraft will not be equipped with 4D FMSs between the timeframe of the PHARE experiments and the year 2015, a ground supported navigation function to assist non-4D FMSs aircraft was required.
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For further information

The PHARE Flight Path Monitor is documented in:
  Acrobat 98-70-18 PATs Project Final Report Volume 6 Flight Path Monitor264 Kb
 
  Last validation: 20/03/2007