Stepless High-Lift Configurations for Optimised Aircraft Energy Management in the TMA

STEPLESS aims to minimise the flight environmental footprint during final approach under operations with conventional and increased glideslope angles (IGS). IGS is intended to reduce the noise perception on ground by a higher flight altitude. Steeper approach angles however, also reduce the aircraft's capability to decelerate to final approach speed.

Therefore, the risk occurs that pilots are forced to configure the aircraft too early, which can have deteriorating effects on noise and fuel consumption.

The proposed solution of the STEPLESS project dynamically optimises the intermediate settings of the high-lift system in order to better adapt the aircraft's glide performance to the prevailing approach conditions, such as wind, aircraft mass or ATC constraints.

Through this, the pilot can better manage the aircraft's energy, follow speed assignments by ATC and fly as energy-optimal as possible even with increased glideslope angles.

Hence, the proposed solution enables the increase of the glideslope angle for the sake of the reduction of the noise perception on ground but by avoiding deteriorating effects on fuel consumption because of non-optimal high-lift configurations.

It is predicted to bring operational improvements to the flow of arriving traffic within the Terminal Manoeuvring Area (TMA), especially when increased glideslope angles are applied.

The proposed solution aims to provide greater fuel efficiency and environmental sustainability together with a further reduced noise perception on ground and even slight capacity gains through the avoidance of drawbacks in the energy management of approaching aircraft because of a steeper glidepath.The STEPLESS consortium is composed of five research institutions (DLR, NLR, UPC, Empa and SkyLab), one airborne equipment manufacturer (Thales AVS) and one project consulting company (LUP).

The partners are located in five countries all over Europe, namely Germany, France, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.