was made the first flight in the world with a technology for air traffic management (ATM – Air Traffic Management) dimensional , updated and optimized . The aircraft used for this purpose has been devoted to testing the Airbus A320 , who flew from Toulouse to Copenhagen and then Stockholm . The project name is I-4D (Initial 4-D).
The most important benefits of I-4D are a significant reduction in fuel consumption and emissions of CO2 , in line with the SESAR target * , aimed at reducing the 10% environmental impact of each flight , to reduced delays and , accordingly, to use by the passengers on flights shorter and more regular .
This flight test provides a practical solution to the goal of improving the current European system , which is now reaching full capacity . This is a world first in the current system of traffic management , that is ever changing .
Once it has been tested and manufactured industrial I-4D will enable aircraft to plan and follow efficient and optimized flight plans without the need for air traffic controllers have vettorarli <. This will lead to greater predictability of traffic flow and facilitate the operations steadily approaching the airport on the way down (Continuous Descent Operations). will result in a significant reduction in the number of aircraft in a holding pattern .
The I-4D trajectory management is based on a function that provides the aircraft and transmits data to the ground while at the same , a result of coordination with ground systems , to fly along a specific trajectory accurately . trajectory is called 4-D , because it is described in three dimensions (laterale, longitudinal vertical e ) but also includes a target zone in a specific meeting place ( time is the fourth dimension ).
I-4D is the first step in developing one of the key elements of the SESAR program : reconcile the increasing density of traffic with the flight efficiency . I-4D is the result of months of collaboration among its various partners .
One of the main tasks of Airbus was to test the combination of flight handling updated ( Navigation ) and communication systems , and integrate them into the architecture of the aircraft itself
Further flight tests and simulations are programmed in 2012 and 2013. The first operation I-4D is expected in Europe 2018.
Patrick Trancu
HH&A, Milan
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