Boeing’s goal is gate- to-gate enhanced crew awareness that promotes safety and efficiency. Improving Safety with Flight Deck Enhancements

Flight deck design improvements can reduce the risk of runway incursion, confusion, and excursion, resulting in safer and more efficient taxi, takeoff, approach, and landing operations.

By Sam Clark, Flight Deck Research Engineer, and George Trampus, Flight Deck Crew Operations Integration Engineer

Runway safety enhancements range from A collective effort and a shared effective flight deck solutions that provide enhanced signage and markings, responsibility useful operational information and aware­ to improved procedures and training, and ness. must establish effective new flight deck displays, controls, and , A( TC), regulators, policies, practices, and procedures and alerting. This article discusses Boeing’s airplane and avionics manufacturers, balance fleet risk and enhancement costs runway safety strategy and the flight deck and airplane operators each have unique and benefits. design solutions being researched and responsibilities and challenges to ensure developed to provide crew information the safest possible airport environment. Boeing support of runway safety and awareness that promote runway safety Airports must focus on visible, under­ efforts and operational efficiency. standable signage and well-defined and well-maintained surfaces. ATC must Boeing is working with the commercial provide safe and efficient airplane control aviation industry to develop a runway and separation procedures and services. safety approach based on a data-driven Regulators must facilitate improvements consensus of root causes, risk factors, and with guidance and oversight. Airplane and interventions. Integration with existing and avionics manufacturers must offer cost-

05 WWW.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine Figure 1: Flight deck enhancement development Runway safety Boeing’s development process for flight deck enhancements, including those related to runway safety, is characterized by end-to-end collaboration, coordination, and communication among research and areas development, product development, and program implementation teams. Runway safety is part of airport opera­ tions, which comprises taxi, takeoff, Research and Development Activities and approach and landing operations in the area from ground to about 2,500 feet within five nautical miles Technology Application Production of the airport. Boeing is develop­ing flight Readiness Readiness Readiness deck design solutions in each of three runway safety areas:

Runway Incursion The incorrect presence of an airplane, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and takeoff of airplanes.

Runway Confusion An actual or attempted takeoff or landing on the wrong runway or on a taxiway. Preparation for Discovery Feasibility Practicality Applicability Production Runway Excursion An airplane Production Use overruns a runway end or veers off a runway side during takeoff or landing.

New technologies improve runway Product Development and Program Activities safety

A Commercial Team assessment of runway incursions evalu­ated multiple ways to improve situational awareness, including two key technologies: airport moving map planned NextGen air traffic management Boeing supports the RTCA Special (AMM) with ownship (own airplane) strategies is a key consideration. Boeing Committee for Automatic Dependent position and a runway awareness and actively supports government and industry Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), SC-186. advisory system (RAAS). runway safety efforts and is working with (For more information about ADS-B, see AMMs depict runways, taxiways, organizations such as the U.S. Federal AERO second-quarter 2010.) and other airport features. Global Aviation Administration, the Radio Technical positioning system technology is used Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), the to display airplane (ownship) position Boeing runway safety strategy International Organization, on the map. the Safety Team, RAAS is a software option in the To reduce runway incursion and confusion and the Flight Safety Foundation to develop enhanced ground proximity warning events, Boeing’s near-term flight deck industry guidelines, standards, and solu­ system (EGPWS). The EGPWS is design strategy is to improve flight crew tions. Boeing also funds research and standard equipment on all current awareness of location during taxi, takeoff, product development and collaborates Boeing models. RAAS provides voice approach, and landing. The longer-term with cus­tom­ers and vendors to provide callouts for pilot awareness when Boeing strategy is to improve crew flight deck solutions for both current and approaching, entering, or on a runway, awareness of taxi route, airport traffic, future airplanes. and voice and visual alerts for taxiway runway status, and runway traffic conflicts. takeoffs and short runways.

06 aero quarterly qtr_01 | 11 Figure 2: Implementation timelines: committed and possible future enhancements Boeing is currently pursuing a number of flight deck design enhancements for possible implementation.

Boeing Configuration of Honeywell Runway Awareness and Advisory System

787 Head-Up Display, 747-8 Navigation Display (ND) Airport Moving Map (AMM), 787 ND AMM

Next-Generation 737 Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag

Airborne and Surface Cockpit Display of Traffic Information, Runway-Only Moving Map (RMM)

Unstable Approach and Long Landing Monitoring and Alerting

787 Optimized Runway Exiting

Next-Generation 737 and 777 ND AMM/RMM

Cross-Model Optimized Runway Exiting

Surface Traffic Alerting, Runway Status Indications, Taxi Route

Committed Equipage Possible Future Equipage

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018+

The goal of these efforts is an on-ground Boeing flight deck enhancement The process includes vendor, regulator, awareness of position, route, and traffic development process and customer involvement. comparable to that provided in-flight today. To reduce runway excursion events, Once specific safety areas, causal factors, Boeing flight deck design Boeing’s flight deck design strategy is to and issues have been determined, Boeing enhancements improve flight crew awareness of predicted research and product development and actual takeoff, approach, and landing teams identify possible flight deck design Boeing focuses on a human factors- performance. This takes the form of pro­ enhancements and assess them for driven design that is consistent with viding vertical guidance to all runways, feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness. existing and planned airport, air traffic, and improved performance calculations, These teams then assess the technology, and customer operating strategies. With displays, and alerting. application, and production readiness its current and future efforts, Boeing aims Boeing’s runway safety strategy is driven of the flight deck design enhancements. to develop cost‑effective new design by industry consensus on root causes and Research, product development, and solutions that integrate with existing flight interventions. Solutions are designed to program collaboration, coordination, and deck displays, controls, and alerting, and provide flight crews with information and communication are critical to success of maintain consistency and compatibility with awareness to prevent runway incursion, the development process (see fig. 1). existing flight deck design and operational confusion, and excursion. philosophies (see fig. 2).

07 WWW.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine Figure 3: Airport moving map (AMM) An AMM is shown on the 787 navigation display (left) and on the electronic flight bag side display (right).

Specific flight deck enhancements under consideration for the 717, 737-300/ Traffic and traffic data filtering are required address runway incursion, confusion, -400/-500, 747-400, 757, 767, MD-80/-90, to ensure usable displays. Awareness of and excursion. Airport moving map and MD-10/-11 pending customer interest. runway traffic that is beyond the selected (AMM) with ownship (i.e., own airplane) Future incursion/confusion-related display range (or off-scale) is important — position display is a foundation for many enhancements under consideration include especially during taxi where typical display of these enhancements. AMMs and runway-only moving maps range is low (see fig. 6b). (RMMs) with the display of taxi route, Runway status indications of runway ADS-B air and ground traffic, runway status Runway incursion and confusion occupancy and runway usage by takeoff or indications of occupancy and in-use, and landing traffic enhance pilot awareness at a traffic alerting. These may be implemented Forward display of AMM with ownship glance and thereby reduce pilot workload separately or in combination. position is provided on 787 and 747-8 (see figs. 7a and 7b). These indications navigation display and is planned on all Taxi route may be manually entered, stored provide pilot awareness of possible traffic new Boeing airplanes. An electronic flight and recalled, or datalinked (see fig. 5). conflicts and reduce the need for alerting. bag side display of AMM is available on the Datalink provides the greatest efficiency ADS-B traffic conflict alerting has significant Next-Generation 737, 747-400, 757, 767, and safety benefit. Boeing is currently potential safety benefit, particularly during and 777 (see fig. 3). engaged in research and development of takeoff and approach/landing. Off-scale The Honeywell runway awareness and industry taxi route datalink standards. traffic display and alerting also have high advisory system (RAAS) is available in ADS-B enables ground traffic display (see value (see fig. 8). production on the Next-Generation 737 fig. 6a). But the reduced airplane, runway, Boeing is supporting the development of and 777 and will be available on the 747-8 and taxiway separations involved in ground industry standards for airport traffic display, (see fig. 4). RAAS retrofit is offered on the airport operations require very accurate indications, and alerting. Next-Generation 737 and 777. Retrofit is position reporting and display of traffic.

08 aero quarterly qtr_01 | 11 Figure 4: Runway awareness and advisory system (RAAS) The RAAS Short Runway (left) and On Taxiway (right) alert visuals are displayed on the pilots’ navigation displays. These are accompanied by voice aurals.

Figure 5: AMM + taxi route A Boeing prototype of graphical and alphanumeric taxi route is displayed on an AMM.

09 WWW.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine Figure 6a: AMM + airport traffic Figure 6b: AMM + off-scale traffic indication A Boeing research prototype of ADS-B airport traffic displayed on an AMM. A Boeing research prototype of off-scale traffic indication (in green) for airborne traffic on 22R approach displayed on an AMM. The display shows traffic identification, ground speed, and distance from ownship.

Figure 7a: AMM + runway status indications Figure 7b: AMM + runway status indications A Boeing research prototype of traffic-related indications of runway A Boeing research prototype of traffic-related indications of runway in-use occupancy displayed on an AMM. (for takeoff or approach/landing) displayed on an AMM.

Figure 8: AMM + traffic alerting A Boeing research prototype to alert for on-scale traffic conflict (left) and off‑scale traffic conflict (right) displayed on an AMM. A voice alert accompanies the display graphics.

10 aero quarterly qtr_01 | 11 Figure 9: Optimized runway exiting Predicted (green bars) and actual (green oval) stopping performance displayed on an AMM.

Runway excursion Future excursion enhancements under Summary consideration include: Existing Boeing flight deck enhancements Boeing has implemented AMM and other ■■ Landing performance calculation include a runway disagree alert to guard flight deck enhancements and is develop­ and display. against wrong runway takeoff; integrated ing future flight deck enhancements to ■■ HUD cues on primary flight displays. approach navigation, vertical situation promote runway safety during taxi, takeoff, ■■ Stabilized approach, landing, and display, and head-up display (HUD) enhance­ and approach and landing operations. braking performance displays. ments to promote approach stability; speed Boeing’s goal is gate-to-gate enhanced ■■ Unstable approach (e.g., too high brake alerting to help ensure proper config­ crew awareness of airplane position and or too fast), long landing, predicted uration for deceleration after landing; and performance, route, ground traffic, and overrun, and taxiway landing alerts. RAAS callouts (e.g., runway distance other information that promotes runway ■■ Optimized runway exiting for a graphical remaining) and alerts (e.g., short runway) safety and opera­tional efficiencies. indication of estimated braking to provide awareness of overrun risk. HUD For more information, please contact performance and a dynamic indication is available for the Next-Generation 737 Sam Clark at [email protected] of stopping performance during landing and is standard on the 787. or George Trampus at george.trampus@ (see fig. 9). boeing.com.

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