New atmospheric data model for constant altitude accelerated flight performance prediction calculations and flight trajectory optimization algorithms

This article presents a new method for storing and computing the atmospheric data used in time-critical flight trajectory performance prediction calculations, such as flight performance prediction calculations in flight management systems and/or flight trajectory optimization, of constant altitude cruise segments. The proposed model is constructed based on the forecast data provided by Meteorological Service Agencies, in a GRIB2 data file format, and the set of waypoints that define the lateral component of the evaluated flight profile(s). The atmospheric data model can be constructed/updated in the background or off-line, when new atmospheric prediction data are available, and subsequently used in the flight performance computations. The results obtained using the proposed model show that, on average, the atmospheric parameter values are computed six times faster than through 4D linear interpolations, while yielding identical results (value differences of the order of 10e−14). When used in flight trajectory performance calculations, the obtained results show that the proposed model conducts to significant computation time improvements. The proposed model can be extended to define the atmospheric data for a set of cruise levels (usually multiple of 1000 ft).