Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Efficiently into Hub Airport Approach Procedures

Abstract

Currently, most civil and military UAS operations are taking place in segregated airspace so that collision avoidance and separation with other traffic is of minor concern. To further enable the UAS operational scope, Unmanned Aircraft (UA) must be able to fly in airspace where other traffic is operating as well. This becomes increasingly important when considering the effects on efficiency and safety caused by the participation of UAS in the approaching and departing traffic at (civil) hub airports. Enabling a smooth integration of UA into the traffic stream of an airport requires the examination of two different aspects. One important aspect is the handling of UA Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) under the requirement of wake vortex separation and a sustained Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication. A second aspect that needs to be considered is the potential of improving current UAS approach procedures and their effect on airport capacity. In this paper, a concept is presented, in which a single generic Ground Control Station (GCS), located at or near the airport can be used to control multiple UAS and, in conjunction with advanced GBAS approach procedures, can facilitate the shared use of an airport.