Define Minimum Safe Operational Volume for Aerial Vehicles in Upper Class E Airspace

Abstract

The variety of vehicle performance in upper Class E airspace requires a method that can efficiently compute the minimum safe operational boundary between aircraft. This work presents a mathematical method to define the minimum safe operational boundary needed for aerial vehicles operating in upper Class E airspace. This method focuses on the extra separation required by vehicle maneuverability, communication delay, and control/operator response time. A sensitivity study is then performed to provide a general understanding of the impact of these factors on the extra separation needed. Experiments with pairwise encounters are conducted to verify the results generated by the proposed methods.