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The Full Aircraft Separation Transfer (FAST) study of the Freer-Flight Project looks at the “autonomous aircraft” mode in the context of free flight airspace by 2015. This can be allied to free route operations and support the introduction of designated Free Flight Airspace as proposed in the EUROCONTROL ATM2000+ Strategy. While these operations are likely to be confined to low traffic density airspace, they will further enhance flight efficiency and flexibility. New rules are needed to address the issues of communication, coordination, flight rules, separation principles and priorities among flights. For that purpose, Extended Flight Rules (EFR) procedures have been developed: encounters are treated pair-wise and a priority scheme determines which aircraft has the right of way. In addition, an Airborne Separation Assurance System (ASAS) prototype providing the pilot with the necessary assistance for conflict detection and resolution has been developed.

This paper presents the initial evaluation of the EACAC study, which is investigating delegation by the controller to the pilot of some tasks related to separation assurance. The concept is applied in managed airspace for two classes of application: crossing and passing in enroute, and sequencing in Terminal Manoeuvring Area. The concept relies on two key points discussed in the paper: “limited delegation” and “flexible use of delegation”. The initial evaluation using a simplified ATC environment has been set up to get “feedback” from both controllers and pilots, and to assess the operational feasibility and potential interest of the concept. The overall feeling about the method is “promising” with a “great potential”, and could reduce workload. The notion of “flexible use of delegation” would enable the gradual growth of confidence and would also provide flexibility to use the method under different conditions (traffic, airspace, practice level).

The Evolutionary Air-ground Co-operative ATM Concepts (EACAC) study of the Freer-Flight project investigates the delegation by the controller to the pilot, of some tasks related to separation assurance. Starting from the analogy of visual clearances, EACAC investigates the possibility of giving electronic clearances. One of the issues of the study deals with the appropriate assistance scheme to be provided to the pilot, considering the proposed concept of limited delegation. The “scales of separations” is one of the levels of assistance envisaged. Two models of turns and their appropriateness for lateral scales of effects are investigated. The scales of separations implementing these models will be evaluated by pilots, first through a cockpit environment in a stand-alone mode (end 1999), and then using a cockpit simulator in a real-time simulation with controllers (mid 2000).