NASA‘s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate will conduct a series of flights in Washington to test a new aircraft technology designed to help airlines mitigate air traffic delays and aid air traffic controller workloads.
The space agency said Friday the Federal Aviation Administration and other aviation partners will help conduct the Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1 flights which will test the airborne flight deck interval management software.
ATD-1 will use a Boeing 757 aircraft, United Airlines-supplied Boeing 737 aircraft and a Honeywell business jet to conduct the flight test over Grant County International Airport.
Researchers from NASA Langley Research Center developed software and flight tests to be equipped on the Boeing aircraft to support the management of the arrival of aircraft to airports.
NASA added the research team aims to help airplanes spend less time in the air to address engine emission, fuel, money and noise concerns as well as mitigate potential delays.
