Trump's Air Traffic Control plan

[BLS53]

Delta's the only outlier among the four majors. 

[CMStPnP]

Buslist

and how do the machines learn to write code?

Well somewhat the same way humans do via Artificial Intelligence but here is the twist, once they learn how to do something the machine can teach to another machine without a lot of human intervention now (ie: no human intervention at some point in the future).

For those that are unfamiliar artificial intelligence can be best explained in laymans terms by a series of statisitical decision trees the computer has to negotiate logically.  While it is learning it is going down the path the first time and doesn't know the outcome of each decision after learned it knows somewhat the outcome should be but if the outcome deviates it modifies the decision tree and marks it's decision for next time.    So that is a somewhat crude explanation of how AI works.    There is more to it than that.   The more the machine learns the better it becomes at making it's own decisions.

When the machine becomes self aware is far beyond my knowledge base though not sure how that happens or if it is just myth.

[Euclid]

I think the people who sell technology have gotten Trump’s ear on this dream of fixing the air traffic control system.  Maybe they can provide the perfect intelligence machine that Trump is going to need in order to figure out how to make the dream a reality.  Either that or he should forget about this complicated dream and start with something simple like fixing healthcare or the economy.   

[tree68]

Euclid

Either that or he should forget about this complicated dream and start with something simple like fixing healthcare or the economy.   

So, how many lanes do you want on this bridge?

[blue streak 1]

Euclid

I think the people who sell technology have gotten Trump’s ear on this dream of fixing the air traffic control system.  Maybe they can provide the perfect intelligence machine that Trump is going to need in order to figure out how to make the dream a reality.    

good  points ====  The present efforts have been ongoing for 10+ years.  One item that has been very effective is the airborne collision avoidance system.  (TCAS) Development started in 1985 and first approval happened by 1990.  However TCAS-2 was not completely operational until the 2000s. 

Why does it work ?  It is airplane based that receives all transponder returns in a 50 mile space with the transponders all giving their altitudes.  Fairly simple calculations tell  receiving aircraft if any returns are a threat.

That is what the ground based ATC system does with the aid of controllers.  But then all the restrictions of airspace come in plus preferred routes to any destination, altitudes restrictions, aircraft performance, ( every aircraft type and some sub types behave differently.  As often stated it is Spock's 3 dimensional chess game that pieces keep moving around without players directions.  Then throw in weather problems of CBs that airplanes need to avoid.

All in all  a programer's nightmare.

EDIT.  What is worse is that it is not one programer's nightmare but 1000 who despite all efforts do not all talk the same language to others.  Imagine an Indian, Pakaistanian, chineese, Japaneese, Brit, French, USA different locations all trying to program the same and make interfaces work ? ?

[erikem]

BLS53

ATC should be easier than RR's, because you're basically dealing with movable points in space. 

ATC is a much better application for GPS technology than PTC for a couple of reasons:

1) The minimum separation between planes is nominally 500 feet in the vertical direction and larger in the horizontal direction. 500 feet comes from IFR using 1000 foot flight levels (e.g. 10,000', 11,000') while VFR uses the 500 foot flight levels (e.g. 5,500', 6,500'). Minimum separation on PTC is on the order of 15' (track spacing).

2) Airplanes flying IFR (i.e. using ATC) are above the terrain and thus have multiple satellites in view at all times.

[rdamon]

And add accuracy on dealing with multiple parallel tracks.

 

I remember a discussion on PTC getting confused in the 3D space on the Tehachapi loop.

[BLS53]

Exactly, to both of the previous two posts. All types of surface transportation have limitations that are non-existent in aviation. The somewhat finate limitation of airports being the exception. And that exception is the biggest fly in the ointment.

[Euclid]

tree68

 

Euclid

Either that or he should forget about this complicated dream and start with something simple like fixing healthcare or the economy.   

 

 

So, how many lanes do you want on this bridge?

 

It doesn't matter as long as it is privately run for profit.

[tree68]

Euclid

It doesn't matter as long as it is privately run for profit.

ICYMI - It's the punchline for a genie joke...

[RME]

tree68

ICYMI - It's the punchline for a genie joke...

And a funny, and appropriate one in this context, too... except for