RainmanTime
Super Moderator
I'd like to explain a major EVOLUTION in aircraft and air traffic control that is happening IN OUR CURRENT TIME, thanks to the advancement of our INFORMATION AGE. And it directly applies to the eventual evolution towards levels of TIME CONTROL.... a precursor to TIME TRAVEL.
Old Technology Air Terminal Traffic Control (3-D POSITION control)
The typical air traffic control scheme that was developed along with aircraft in the 20th century is based on a 3-D traffic separation model. Simply explained, traffic is assigned to discrete altitudes (1-D in 3-D space) to ensure they remain separate (do not collide). Approach traffic flys around the airport pattern at a constant altitude and are sequenced to land on the runway in the other 2 dimensions. The TIME (4th) dimension of aircraft arrivals at a specific airport are NOT CURRENTLY BEING FULLY EXPLOITED to maximize airport throughput, while ensuring separation of aircraft.
Thanks to major advances in realtime information processing (i.e. processor speeds and sophistication of software control algorithms), we are now at the beginning of a new age of Air Traffic Control in and around airports that will make them (and the aircraft) SIGNIFICANTLY more Energy-Efficient. (To the tune of savings anywhere from 80 Lbs up to 185 Lbs of jet fuel for each aircraft's approach).
New Technology Air Terminal Traffic Control (4-D ENERGY control)
It is easy to identify the absolute MINIMUM ENERGY DECENT & APPROACH for any transport aircraft. This aircraft would be able to pull its throttles to complete IDLE power at the top of its descent path, and NEVER have to level-off and stay at an airport approach pattern altitude. It would be able to glide all the way to its landing, at JUST THE RIGHT TIME.
But how do you schedule all the arriving aircraft so that they can follow their most energy efficient path? And how do you do this while ensuring the airplanes never collide with one another?
You do it by ADDING VARIABLE TIME CONTROL (arrival time) as a FOURTH DIMENSION (Degree Of Freedom) of CONTROL. You move from managing an aircraft's 3-D Flight Path in Space (which is what we do now), and evolve to managing an aircraft's 4-D Energy Profile in SpaceTime.
While everyone might not understand all the technicalities of what I describe above, can you at least see how we are moving from an "old paradigm" of 3-D SPACE/POSITION control of aircraft, to a "new paradigm" of 4-D SPACE-TIME Energy control of aircraft?
Notice how we are just starting to control one dimension of TIME, in addition to the three dimensions of SPACE that we already control for an airplane's flight path.
Evidence of our progression to Time Travel (5 and 6 D?)
N/I RMT
Old Technology Air Terminal Traffic Control (3-D POSITION control)
The typical air traffic control scheme that was developed along with aircraft in the 20th century is based on a 3-D traffic separation model. Simply explained, traffic is assigned to discrete altitudes (1-D in 3-D space) to ensure they remain separate (do not collide). Approach traffic flys around the airport pattern at a constant altitude and are sequenced to land on the runway in the other 2 dimensions. The TIME (4th) dimension of aircraft arrivals at a specific airport are NOT CURRENTLY BEING FULLY EXPLOITED to maximize airport throughput, while ensuring separation of aircraft.
Thanks to major advances in realtime information processing (i.e. processor speeds and sophistication of software control algorithms), we are now at the beginning of a new age of Air Traffic Control in and around airports that will make them (and the aircraft) SIGNIFICANTLY more Energy-Efficient. (To the tune of savings anywhere from 80 Lbs up to 185 Lbs of jet fuel for each aircraft's approach).
New Technology Air Terminal Traffic Control (4-D ENERGY control)
It is easy to identify the absolute MINIMUM ENERGY DECENT & APPROACH for any transport aircraft. This aircraft would be able to pull its throttles to complete IDLE power at the top of its descent path, and NEVER have to level-off and stay at an airport approach pattern altitude. It would be able to glide all the way to its landing, at JUST THE RIGHT TIME.
But how do you schedule all the arriving aircraft so that they can follow their most energy efficient path? And how do you do this while ensuring the airplanes never collide with one another?
You do it by ADDING VARIABLE TIME CONTROL (arrival time) as a FOURTH DIMENSION (Degree Of Freedom) of CONTROL. You move from managing an aircraft's 3-D Flight Path in Space (which is what we do now), and evolve to managing an aircraft's 4-D Energy Profile in SpaceTime.
While everyone might not understand all the technicalities of what I describe above, can you at least see how we are moving from an "old paradigm" of 3-D SPACE/POSITION control of aircraft, to a "new paradigm" of 4-D SPACE-TIME Energy control of aircraft?
Notice how we are just starting to control one dimension of TIME, in addition to the three dimensions of SPACE that we already control for an airplane's flight path.
Evidence of our progression to Time Travel (5 and 6 D?)
N/I RMT