User:RMBaiada

FreeFlight
When I introduced the FreeFlight concept with Michael Boyd in 1994, along with 2 others (Lane Speck and Bill Cotton), I viewed FreeFlight as a way to allow much more flexibility for the airlines, and aircraft in general, to have additional freedom in the movement of their aircraft.

Unfortunately, many viewed FreeFlight as an extension of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. I did not.

Because of this, the FreeFlight Select Committee, which I developed with Dave Watrous of RTCA and wrote the original Terms of Reference, became a way to enhance the ATC system, instead of moving to an aviation model where airlines took responsibility and management of their aircraft in real time, "day of".

FreeFlight is about slowly, and safely, removing the structure (It’s the Structure, 2000-08) within the world's airspace that constrains all aircraft. FreeFlight is not about increasing the control of the ATC system over the movement of the aircraft.

Consider that, for the last 40 years, ATC providers, including Eurocontrol, NATS, FAA and others, as well as airlines around the world, have all worked extremely hard and spent $100s of Billions to fix delays, congestion and reduce CO2, but the benefits have eluded us.

Therefore, to move airline operations forward, and rapidly cut back delays, congestion and CO2, we revaluated the reasons for these problems from a system and engineering perspective, and, more importantly, how they can be rapidly and inexpensively be resolved through "day of" Airline Operational Excellence.

Our analysis concluded that:
 * Airline CO2, delays and congestion can be rapidly reduced by 2025.
 * ATC is NOT the problem, nor is it the solution
 * "Day of" operational variance in the movement/flow of the aircraft is the root cause of most delays, congestion and unnecessary CO2/costs, with much of that variance easily correctable and unnecessary. These unmanaged aircraft flows, driven by hundreds of independent decisions, without regard to system/business effects, negatively infects the airline operation throughout the day (the worse it gets, the worse it gets), constantly increasing emissions and costly end level defects (pax not where promised, when promised).
 * Efficiency can only be determined by the individual airline/operator
 * The solution must be a real time, system solution that can easily cross FIR and sector boundaries and work within the current ATC system
 * The solution must be inexpensive, easily implementable and rapidly scalable

No highly complex, hugely expensive government plan. No new technology. No more studies. No decades more of waiting and waiting, with the first airport operational in less than one year, and an entire region like the US, Europe or Asia online within three years.

We can accomplish this because, as other industries have done for decades, we use a system focused, business-based approach, combined with cloud driven artificial intelligence and machine learning, to guide the right aircraft to the right place at the right time.

The Airline Operational Excellence, GreenLandings™ solution is easily scalable, effortlessly crosses FIR/sector boundaries and uses the currently installed ACARS communication system to allow individual airlines to manage their aircraft in real time, from a business/safety/capacity perspective, hours prior to landing, by sending the pilot speed up or slow down messages. Our solution provides small, but constant speed pressure, well within ATC and the aircraft's capabilities, from a business/system perspective, to make the arrival flow more stable, predictable, and driven to a better outcome (less congestion, better on time, lower CO2, etc.).

The wide-ranging benefits of our fully operational, real time, "day of" solution have been independently validated by FAA, Embry-Riddle, GE Aviation and others, and is the product of 30 years of research, development and operations at some of the busiest airports in the world.

Finally, someone is going to provide the leadership required to make this a reality, as the independently validated benefits are too large to ignore. The question is who will lead?