More Fight-Less Fuel: Reducing Fuel Burn through Ground Process Improvement
Abstract
Aligning fiscal policies with energy conservation initiatives and operational requirements is vital to achieving a positive and sustainable energy outlook for the United States Navy. The purpose of this study is to fill critical gaps in current military aviation energy conservation research. To date, such research has failed to incentivize and reward individual aviation squadrons to conserve. Commercial aviation uses collaborative decision-making (CDM) tools to minimize costs associated with aircraft delays. Embracing a lean approach to operational management, the commercial sector has refined communications between air carriers, airport operators, ground handlers, and air traffic control. This study suggests applying commercial CDM frameworks to all of Naval Aviation to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness. Specific analysis includes the impact of ground resource capacity management, airfield demand analysis (slot arrival system), and demand management cost analysis on F/A-18 Hornet squadrons. This project develops a model using advanced simulation software for the purpose of answering the following three research questions: (1) What impact would decreasing variation in aircraft arrival rate per hour have on gallons of fuel consumed during post-flight ground operations?, (2) How much time between flight events should squadrons plan for when developing their daily flight schedule?, and (3) What is the marginal impact in both gallons of fuel consumed and aircraft operating cost from continuing operations in similar fashion as today with an all F/A-18 Super Hornet flight line in 2016?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA584077
Entities
People
- Chad A. Gerber
- Jeremy A. Clark
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School