Research on Lateral Safety Spacing for Fusion Operation Based on Unmanned and Manned Aircraft-Event Modeling

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Jan 16;24(2):553. doi: 10.3390/s24020553.

Abstract

With the rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology and its increasing application across various fields, current airspace resources are insufficient for unmanned aerial vehicles' needs. This paper, taking Zigong General Aviation Airport in Sichuan as a case study, explores the lateral safety spacing in a mixed operation mode of unmanned aerial vehicles and manned aircraft. Currently, there are no standardized regulations for the safe spacing of the fusion operation of unmanned and manned aircraft. Theoretical research is essential to provide a reference for actual operations. It introduces the UM-Event (unmanned and manned aircraft-event) collision risk model, an adaptation of the Event collision risk model, considering factors like communication, navigation, surveillance performance, human factors, collision avoidance equipment performance, and meteorology. Safety spacing was determined via simulation experiments and actual data analysis, adhering to the target safety level (TSL). Findings indicate that surveillance performance has a minor impact on safety spacing, while communication and navigation significantly influence it. The safety spacing, influenced solely by CNS (communication performance, navigation performance, surveillance performance) and combined factors, increased from 4.42 to 4.47 nautical miles. These results offer theoretical guidance for unmanned aerial vehicle safety in non-segregated airspace.

Keywords: collision risk; manned and unmanned aircraft; safety space.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Civil Aviation Security Capacity Project in 2023 (MHAQ2023038), the Scientific Research Project of Civil Aviation Flight University of China (ZX2021-03), the Independent Research Project of Key Laboratory of Civil Aviation Flight Technology and Flight Safety (FZ2021ZZ03), and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for Students of Civil Aviation University of China (S20231062479).