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The aviation sector has played a significant role in shaping the world into what it is today. The rapid growth of global economies and the corresponding sharp rise in the number of people now wanting to travel on business and for pleasure, has largely been responsible for the development of this industry. With a predicted rise in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) by over 150% in the next 20 years, the industry will correspondingly be a significant contributor to environmental emissions. Under such circumstances optimizing aircraft trajectories for lowered emissions will play a critical role amongst various other measures, in mitigating the probable environmental effects of increased air traffic. Aircraft trajectory optimization using evolutionary algorithms is a novel field and preliminary studies have indicated that a reduction in emissions is possible when set as objectives.

A take-off performance monitor is intended to provide timely indication of whether the take-off attempt is progressing in a satisfactory manner or otherwise to the crew. Envisaged as a non-executive instrument, it is critical that the system be ergonomic by design, thus ensuring optimal exploitation of the intended benefits of improved safety. This effectively requires the instrument to generate a correct measure of performance and to present it in an appropriate manner to the crew. The paper addresses some of the critical issues in this respect and presents the design concept developed at the Cranfield University’s College of Aeronautics.

The purpose of a take-off performance monitor is to provide timely indication of whether the take-off attempt is progressing in a satisfactory manner or otherwise. The major hurdle faced in the development of such a system is in achieving an acceptable level of reliability, a requirement critical for the acceptance of the monitor in its operational environment. This paper proposes specific performance targets in terms of system accuracy that are both practical and acceptable in their context and can complement the specifications of SAE Aerospace Standard AS-8044. A detailed analysis of the implications of employing such targets is included.