Optimal Aircraft Path Planning Considering Wind Uncertainty
Antonio Franco, Damiân Rivas, VALENZUELA, Alfonso · Deposito de Investigacion Universidad de Sevilla (University of Seville) · 2017
The optimization of the aircraft route taking into account wind uncertainty is addressed in this work. The wind uncertainty is obtained from ensemble weather forecasts. A structured airspace is considered, which is defined by a set of waypoints and a set of allowed connections between each pair of waypoints. The analysis is focused on a cruise flight composed of several segments connecting certain waypoints. The optimal route is seen as a path in a graph; therefore, it is obtained by applying a Dijkstra algorithm, following a stochastic approach. Results are presented for a model of B767-300 aircraft, for a given trans-oceanic route, considering a real ensemble weather forecast, and with the objective of minimizing the average total fuel consumption.