Airspace Operations Lab @ NASA Ames

Dynamic Airspace Configuration (DAC) is a new operational paradigm that proposes to migrate from the current structured, static airspace to a dynamic airspace capable of adapting to user demand while meeting changing constraints of weather, traffic congestion and complexity, as well as a highly diverse aircraft fleet (Kopardekar et al., 2007). To understand how the air traffic system can transform from current airspace structures and operational practices to what is envisioned in the NextGen operations, current airspace structures and configuration practices are cataloged in this paper. The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first purpose is to introduce and summarize current airspace structures to researchers who may not be familiar with them and describe specific examples on how these structures are currently used in the operational contexts at different facilities. The second purpose is to describe the near to mid-term operational implementations planned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to researchers whose focus is on far-term concepts but may not be aware of the transition pathway to the far-term concepts. These near to mid- term implementations modify and/or extend the current airspace structures to provide greater flexibility and efficiency in air travel. The paper explores how the proposed airspace structures may be extended further to the NextGen timeframe with fully dynamic airspace and a mixture of highly equipped aircraft fleet.