Patent Application
20100036547
This invention relates generally to commercial air carrier operations, and more particularly, to systems and methods for providing pre-flight dispatching for aircraft engaged in commercial operations.
Commercial air carriers are required to obtain an air carrier certification and to conduct commercial operations in conformity with specified regulations. For example, within the United States, scheduled commercial air service is governed by regulations as described in detail in Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Chapter 1, Part 121 (“Part 121”). In general terms, Part 121 regulates the conduct of flight operations, mandates aircraft equipment and performance requirements, provides crew qualification and training requirements, and outlines required maintenance operations for the certificated air carrier. Air carrier operations in other jurisdictions may be similarly regulated, as those skilled in the art will readily recognize.
Air carriers typically staff and maintain dispatch centers to control selected operational details related to the air carrier's operations. For example, a dispatch center typically performs various pre-flight planning tasks required for a scheduled flight, monitors the progress of the scheduled flight, and may issue other information that may affect the safety of the flight. Since the dispatch centers must provide the foregoing services throughout an entire route structure used by the air carrier, a plurality of dispatch centers are typically maintained by the carrier, and are generally positioned at various locations in the route structure.
The dispatch centers are manned by one or more aircraft flight dispatchers that share joint responsibility with the pilot-in-command (PIC) of a scheduled flight for the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft. Accordingly, the aircraft flight dispatcher is typically responsible for pre-flight tasks pertaining to the scheduled flight, including analyzing and evaluating meteorological information pertaining to the flight to determine if potential hazards to flight exist. The flight dispatcher also typically selects an appropriate flight route and altitude for the flight, and performs selected flight calculations such as constructing a flight plan that includes a projected fuel-burn, compiles a load plan for the aircraft, performs weight and balance calculations, and also obtains other informational components that may be required for the safe completion of the flight. Based upon the foregoing, a dispatch release document is generated that is approved and signed by the dispatcher. The flight dispatcher also typically generates a flight plan that is filed with the appropriate air traffic control facility. Once the scheduled flight departs, the flight dispatcher may actively monitor the progress of the flight, and assist the flight crew as required.
Since the aircraft flight dispatcher works with the PIC of the scheduled flight to accomplish the foregoing tasks, the flight dispatcher must be properly trained, and in the United States, must obtain a certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to indicate that the certificated person understands the pertinent FAA regulations, radio communication procedures and protocols, weather analysis, aircraft performance characteristics, air traffic control procedures and navigational facilities, as well as other specialized knowledge. After a flight dispatcher has acquired the necessary FAA certification, the knowledge and skills of the flight dispatcher are periodically tested to ensure that a safe level of performance may be expected from the flight dispatcher.
Since each dispatch center requires a staff of trained dispatchers, the cost of maintaining flight dispatch centers is considerable. Additional costs are incurred in supporting the physical space requirements and infrastructure required for the dispatch centers. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that permit an air carrier to significantly reduce the costs associated with aircraft dispatch requirements.
Systems and methods for providing pre-flight dispatching for aircraft engaged in commercial operations are disclosed. In one aspect, a system for on-board dispatching of an aircraft includes a flight dispatching apparatus positioned within the aircraft that is configured to perform one or more flight dispatching tasks. A communications apparatus is configured to exchange wireless signals between the dispatching apparatus and one or more ground-based facilities. In another aspect, a method of dispatching an aircraft using an on-board dispatching system includes designating a person to perform predetermined dispatching tasks, and establishing a wireless data connection between the aircraft and at least one ground-based facility. Information obtained from the at least one ground-based facility is then processed to perform the one or more dispatching tasks, and at least a portion of the processed information is communicated to the at least one ground-based facility using the wireless data connection.
Preferred and alternate embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.
The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing pre-flight dispatching for aircraft. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in
The dispatching workstation 14 is positioned within the aircraft in a location that is generally accessible to one or more of the flight crew members of the aircraft. Accordingly, the dispatching workstation 14 may be positioned in a flight deck of the aircraft, or it may be positioned in other areas accessible to the flight crew, such as a crew rest area in the aircraft. The dispatching workstation 14 will be described in greater detail below. The dispatching workstation 14 is coupled to a communications transceiver 16 positioned within the aircraft that is operable to exchange wireless signals with one or more ground-based facilities 18. For example, the ground-based facilities 18 may include selected FAA Facilities 20 such as an FAA Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), an Enroute Air Traffic Control Center (ATC), a Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility (TRACON), or a Control Tower facility at a specified airport, or other known facilities. The ground-based facilities 18 may further include a weather reporting station 22 maintained by the National Weather Service (NWS) or other comparable governmental or private organizations. The ground-based facilities 18 may further include a main dispatch center (MDC) 24 that is staffed and maintained by an air carrier. In one particular embodiment, the MDC 24 may perform all of the dispatching tasks required for Part 121 operations, but is geographically remote from the aircraft. For example, the aircraft may be positioned in a geographical region that is substantially remote from a geographical region that includes the main dispatch center 24.
Still referring to
The dispatching workstation 30 also includes a storage device 48 configured to receive and store data that is required to generate selected aircraft dispatching information. For example, the storage device 48 may include weight and balance data and/or performance and aerodynamic information for the aircraft. The storage device 48 may also receive and store various databases that may be required for flight plan compilation. For example, a navigational database that includes high and low altitude enroute environments, approach and departure procedures, and other related information may be hosted on the storage device 48. Suitable databases that include navigational and approach and departure information are available from Jeppeson-Sanderson, Inc. of Englewood Colo., although other suitable alternatives exist.
With continued reference to
The designated person may then access various software programs and databases retained within the storage device 48 that assist the designated person in performing the dispatching tasks. For example, the designated person may review one or more preferred flight routes for the scheduled flight, and select a route based upon the prior review of the weather data and any NOTAMs affecting the flight route. Once a flight route is selected, the designated person may prepare a fuel plan for the flight that includes any additional fuel that may be required to overcome unfavorable winds aloft, a required reserve fuel amount, and any additional fuel amount that may be required to reach one or more weather-related alternate destinations. A weight and balance plan may be developed based upon the planned fuel load, passenger and luggage load estimates and known moment data for the aircraft that is stored within the storage device 48. The designated person may also review still other flight-related information. For example, the designated person may establish a data connection with the MDC 24 that is maintained by the air carrier and determine if any flight restrictions apply to the aircraft, which may be due to maintenance requirements, master minimum equipment list (MMEL) compliance, or for other reasons. Although flight route information, weight and balance data for the aircraft, and other similar information required to complete the various dispatching tasks may be stored on the storage device 48, it is understood that this information may alternately be present, at least in part, on storage devices maintained by the ground-based facilities 18, so that the required information may be obtained through a suitable data connection between the facilities 18 and the dispatching apparatus 12.
Once route selection, fuel planning, weight and balance calculations, and any other tasks required to properly dispatch the aircraft are completed, the designated person may prepare and electronically sign a dispatch release, establish a data connection with the MDC 24 and forward the signed dispatch release to the MDC 24. Alternately, the designated person may prepare the dispatch release and forward the prepared dispatch release to the MDC 24 for review and electronic signature. Approval of the dispatch release by the MDC 24 may then be communicated to the designated person using the data connection. The designated person may also submit a Flight Plan to the FAA Facility 20 for the planned flight through a suitable data connection in order to properly inform ATC of the scheduled flight. Alternately, the MDC 24 may perform this requirement during the review and signature process.
The data connection between the ground-based facilities 18 and the dispatching apparatus 12 may also be used to provide dispatch information to a selected airport information systems, such as a flight reservation system maintained by an airline, or to other airport information systems that generally provide arrival and departure information to passengers through information displays located within an airport terminal. In addition, the data connection may be employed to report a departure time for the aircraft, and to report other pertinent data, such as a fuel amount aboard the aircraft at the departure time.
At block 56, the dispatch release document is generated. As described earlier, the dispatch release document must be approved by a properly certificated individual. Accordingly, the method 50 determines if the designated person is authorized to approve the dispatch release document at block 58. If the designated person does not have the authority to sign the dispatch release document, the unsigned document is forwarded to an appropriate ground-based facility (e.g., the MDC 24) at block 60 where the document may be electronically signed. The signed dispatch release document may then be communicated to the workstation 14. Otherwise, if the designated person has the authority to sign the dispatch release document, at block 62 the designated person electronically signs the document and forwards a copy to the appropriate ground-based facility 18. At block 64, the signed dispatch release document is transferred over the data connection to other ground-based facilities 18, such as a flight reservation system or to other airport information systems. In addition, the designated person may file a flight plan with the AFSS, or other FAA facilities through the data connection. At block 66, the departure time and fuel amount may be reported to a selected one of the ground-based facilities 18 (such as the MDC 24) over the data connection.
Those skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the foregoing embodiments may be incorporated into a wide variety of different systems. Referring now in particular to
Although the aircraft 300 is generally representative of a commercial passenger aircraft, which may include, for example, the 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777 commercial passenger aircraft available from The Boeing Company of Chicago, Ill., it should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention may also be incorporated into flight vehicles of other types, including military aircraft, cargo aircraft, and other aircraft that are not involved in the commercial transport of passengers. Examples of such flight vehicles are illustrated more fully in various descriptive volumes, such as Jane's All The World's Aircraft, available from Jane's Information Group, Ltd. of Coulsdon, Surrey, UK.
While preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
