Air Traffic Density and Distribution Measurements.

Abstract

Results of measurements to determine peak air traffic densities, the spatial distribution of air traffic, and its variation with time, in the Los Angeles Basin and at several locations from Boston to Washington, D.C. are reported. These measurements include only ATCRBS-transponder equipped aircraft. LA Basin traffic densities are shown to be significantly higher than those measured at any other location. The time- and spatial-average density over a circular region of 10 nmi radius reaches a peak value of 0.1 aircraft per sq. nmi in LA. Under comparable conditions the density in Washington, Philadelphia, and Boston reaches 0.02 to 0.04 aircraft per sq. nmi. These measurements, made in 1976, were compared with the LA Basin Standard Traffic Model as to spatial distribution of traffic and absolute density. The results show that the model and the measurement differ by a scale factor of 5:1 (with density being greater in the model) but otherwise agree closely in spatial distribution. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 03, 1979
Accession Number
ADA073229

Entities

People

  • W. H. Harman

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Traffic
  • Air Traffic Control Systems
  • Airports
  • Control Systems
  • High Density
  • Mathematical Models
  • Measurement
  • Models
  • Peak Values
  • Probability Distributions
  • Radar
  • Radar Beacons
  • Random Variables
  • Spatial Distribution
  • Standards
  • Traffic
  • United States

Readers

  • Acoustics.
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Research Science/Academic Research