Project description
Dynamic optimisation of aircraft for greater fuel efficiency and less noise
An increased glideslope (IGS) angle — the angle of the plane relative to the ground when approaching the airport — enables a higher altitude until closer proximity to the airport. It is one solution to aircraft noise reduction but configuring the aircraft too early in preparation can have negative impact on noise and fuel consumption. The EU-funded STEPLESS project aims to develop a solution to dynamically optimise an aircraft’s high-lift system settings according to the prevailing approach conditions. This will enable energy optimisation, with or without IGS. The result will be greater fuel efficiency and environmental sustainability, reduced noise perception on the ground and potentially slight capacity gains.
Objective
STEPLESS aims to minimise the flight environmental footprint during final approach under operations with conventional and increased glideslope angles (IGS). IGS is intended to reduce the noise perception on ground by a higher flight altitude. Steeper approach angles however, also reduce the aircraft's capability to decelerate to final approach speed. Therefore, the risk occurs that pilots are forced to configure the aircraft too early, which can have deteriorating effects on noise and fuel consumption. The proposed solution of the STEPLESS project dynamically optimises the intermediate settings of the high-lift system in order to better adapt the aircraft's glide performance to the prevailing approach conditions, such as wind, aircraft mass or ATC constraints. Through this, the pilot can better manage the aircraft's energy, follow speed assignments by ATC and fly as energy-optimal as possible even with increased glideslope angles. Hence, the proposed solution enables the increase of the glideslope angle for the sake of the reduction of the noise perception on ground but by avoiding deteriorating effects on fuel consumption because of non-optimal high-lift configurations. It is predicted to bring operational improvements to the flow of arriving traffic within the Terminal Manoeuvring Area (TMA), especially when increased glideslope angles are applied. The proposed solution aims to provide greater fuel efficiency and environmental sustainability together with a further reduced noise perception on ground and even slight capacity gains through the avoidance of drawbacks in the energy management of approaching aircraft because of a steeper glidepath.
The STEPLESS consortium is composed of five research institutions (DLR, NLR, UPC, Empa and SkyLab), one airborne equipment manufacturer (Thales AVS) and one project consulting company (LUP). The partners are located in five countries all over Europe, namely Germany, France, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering aircraft
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-SESAR-2023-DES-ER-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
51147 KOLN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.