Challenges to Modeling Vectored Area Navigation Departures at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Abstract

This paper analyzes both air traffic volume and controller motivations while attempting to correlate these factors to the vectoring of area navigation (RNAV) departures at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). One-third of DFW RNAV departures encounter some form of vectoring away from the RNAV routes. The majority of those vectored, about one-quarter of all the departures, are given direct routings that bypass fixes on the route and shorten the distance flown within the DFW Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) airspace. Understanding when and why vectoring occurs gives researchers further insight into the complex dynamics of super dense airspace operations which can be used to improve trajectory prediction for automated decision support tools. This paper describes the development of models aimed at understanding and modeling those instances. The results of these models’ development show they are not good predictors of short cuts, as they fail to capture controllers’ decision-making criterion for vectoring. The interviews with retired TRACON controllers, however, provided other data to consider or to obtain that might improve the modeling. These interviews also indicate the subjectivity of their decisions to vector these aircraft in clear conditions and highlight the complexity of air traffic in super-dense airspace.