scope:

Introduction

Background

On April 20, 1995, the FAA Administrator asked RTCA to "form a new task force, led by an appropriate representative from the civilian aviation community to develop consensus regarding Free Flight implementation." The task force completed its work in October 31, 1995, and produced a report, Final Report of RTCA Task Force 3 Free Flight Implementation, that further defined the Free Flight operational concept, evaluated the Free Flight architecture and technology needs, and identified an incremental transition to Free Flight.

Free Flight is an innovative concept born out of the need for increased user flexibility with operating efficiencies and increased levels of capacity and safety to meet growing demand for air transportation. This new concept of operation recognized the need to rethink the traditional notions of traffic flow management, air traffic separation services, and the classification of airspace itself. The Free Flight concept asserts that significant benefits can be achieved by concentrating on 1) removal of constraints and restrictions to flight operations, 2) better exchange of information and collaborative decisionmaking among users and service providers, 3) more efficient management of airspace and airport resources, and 4) tools and models to aid air traffic service providers.