Systems and methods for use in identifying at least one alternate airport

• US 8,666,649 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Otto, Willard Kyle, Clark, Jason William, Hendrian, Matthew B., Schwartz, Samantha Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mazzara, Anne
• Application Number:
  US13/344,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20130179059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120
• US Class Current: 701/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Systems and methods for use in identifying at least one alternate airport for an aircraft. One example method includes identifying a plurality of alternate airports based on static data associated with the plurality of alternate airports, identifying, at a processing device, at least one preferred alternate airport from the plurality of alternate airports based on dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports, and storing the at least one preferred alternate airport. The dynamic data includes at least one of visibility information and traffic density information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use in identifying at least one alternate airport for an aircraft, said method comprising:

identifying a plurality of alternate airports based on static data associated with the plurality of alternate airports, the static data including at least one of population information, proximate accommodations information, and mass-transit information;

identifying, at a processing device, at least one preferred alternate airport from the plurality of alternate airports based on dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports, the dynamic data including visibility information and traffic density information, wherein at least one of the static data and the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the plurality of alternate airports and the at least one preferred alternate airport to be identified based on a relative importance of the at least one of the static data and dynamic data; and

storing the at least one preferred alternate airport.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one preferred alternate airport includes identifying multiple preferred alternate airports;

and

further comprising prioritizing the multiple preferred alternate airports based on at least the traffic density information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the at least one preferred alternate airport for presentation to an operator of the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the static data associated with the plurality of alternate airports includes a runway parameter associated with each of the plurality of alternate airports.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports includes a runway condition associated with the plurality of alternate airports.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports includes at least one of a current weather condition and a forecasted weather condition associated with the plurality of alternate airports.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic data includes forecasted visibility information associated with the plurality of alternate airports.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the aircraft has been diverted from a destination airport, prior to identifying the plurality of alternate airports.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one preferred alternate airports include identifying the at least one preferred alternate airports based on at least one minimum indicated by a type of the aircraft and an operator of the aircraft.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports.

11. A flight plan system for use in identifying at least one alternate airport for an aircraft, said flight plan system comprising:

a memory device configured to store static data related to a plurality of airports; and

a processing device coupled to said memory device and configured to;

identify a plurality of alternate airports from the plurality of airports based on the static data, the static data including at least one of population information, proximate accommodations information, and mass-transit information;

identify at least one preferred alternate airport from the plurality of alternate airports based on dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports, the dynamic data including at least one of visibility information and traffic density information, wherein at least one of the static data and the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the plurality of alternate airports and the at least one preferred alternate airport to be identified based on a relative importance of the at least one of the static data and dynamic data; and

store the at least one preferred alternate airport in said memory device.

12. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein the static data includes location information for the plurality of alternate airports and the dynamic data includes visibility information and traffic density information.

13. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising a communication interface configured to communicate, through aviation radio signals, to receive the dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports.

14. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising an input device coupled to said processing device, and wherein said processing device is further configured to receive, via said input device, an input requesting the at least one preferred alternate airport.

15. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein the flight plan system includes an electronic flight bag.

16. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein the flight plan system is located within an aircraft.

17. The flight plan system of claim 11, further comprising a display device coupled to said processing device, and wherein said processing device is further configured to display, at said display device, the at least one preferred alternate airport to an operator.

18. The flight plan system of claim 11, wherein the dynamic data includes forecasted visibility information associated with the plurality of alternate airports proximate to estimated arrival time.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processing device, said computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processing device to:

identify a plurality of alternate airports based on static data associated with a plurality of alternate airports, the static data including at least one of population information, proximate accommodations information, and mass-transit information;

identify multiple preferred alternate airports from the plurality of alternate airports based on dynamic data associated with the plurality of alternate airports, the dynamic data including visibility information and traffic density information, wherein at least one of the static data and the dynamic data is associated with at least one weight that enables at least one of the plurality of alternate airports and the at least one preferred alternate airport to be identified based on a relative importance of the at least one of the static data and dynamic data; and

store the multiple preferred alternate airports in a memory device associated with the at least one processing device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instruction further cause the at least one processing device to prioritize the multiple alternate airports based on at least traffic density information.