Systems and methods that display information to enable a flight crew on a trailing aircraft to maintain separation behind a leading aircraft during an approach. Graphical designs are displayed on a navigation display or other display in the flight deck of the trailing aircraft to help the flight crew visually acquire the leading aircraft out the window and maintain at least a specified separation distance or spacing between the two aircraft even if visual contact is lost after the initial visual contact. A visual indication is provided on the display if that separation distance/spacing is attained. If for some reason the flight crew misses that visual indication and the trailing aircraft continues to get closer to the leading aircraft, another visual indication is provided, followed by an aural alert when a minimum safe spacing is reached.

Systems and methods for creating a network cloud based hierarchical architecture for supporting unmanned aircraft are disclosed. A system may include a higher level server, one or more lower level server in direct communication with the higher level server, and one or more control station in direct communication with the lower level server. Each control station may be configured to: control flight operations of an unmanned aircraft; acquire flight information and position information of the unmanned aircraft; and provide updates to the lower level server regarding the flight information and position information of the unmanned aircraft. Each lower level server may be configured to: process the flight information and position information received from the control station; and provide updates to the higher level server regarding the flight information and position information received from the control station.

A method for en-route flight path optimization is disclosed. A plurality of alternate flight paths between an origin and a destination of the aircraft in flight is determined based on real-time weather data air traffic conflict data, and air space constraint data. Further, flight time savings and fuel savings for each of the plurality of alternate flight paths with respect to an actual path is computed. Furthermore, an optimal flight path from the plurality of alternate flight paths is determined based on the computed flight time savings, fuel savings, and a priority for the flight time savings and the fuel savings.

Systems and methods of the present invention are provided to generate a plurality of flight trajectories that do not conflict with other aircraft in a local area. Interventions by an air traffic control system help prevent collisions between aircraft, but these interventions can also cause an aircraft to substantially deviate from the pilot's intended flight trajectory, which burns fuels, wastes time, etc. Systems and methods of the present invention can assign a standard avoidance interval to other aircraft in the area such that a pilot's aircraft does not receive an intervention by an air traffic control system. Systems and methods of the present invention also generate a plurality of conflict-free flight trajectories such that a pilot or an automated system may select the most desirable flight trajectory for fuel efficiency, speed, and other operational considerations, etc.

A system and method for dynamically validating uplink messages during flight are provided. The system comprises at least one processing unit in an aircraft, and at least one communication device in the aircraft that is operatively connected to the processing unit. The communication device is configured to receive uplink messages from a ground air traffic control (ATC) center, and transmit downlink messages to the ground ATC center. The system also includes a human machine interface (HMI) in the aircraft that is operatively connected to the processing unit. The HMI is configured to receive input from a user and display information to the user. One or more data sources that provide dynamic information are in operative communication with the processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine whether an ATC uplink message is acceptable based on analysis of the dynamic information from the one or more data sources.

There is provided systems and methods for pilot alertness and awareness of target aircraft and target obstacle that are flying within a proceeding flight path collision. Transmitted guiding sound signals consisting of three dimensional effects and tonal sounds are generated by a flight unit, and sent to the pilot's headset for the desired purpose of directing the pilot's head position to locate the target aircraft and target obstacle. The flight unit processes time of collision from received target aircraft broadcast, and contain at least GPS data and target obstacle information from stored navigational maps. The flight unit further receives the pilot's head position through means of a head tracker. Furthermore, the flight unit is able to perform the functions of, storing piloted flight information, voice language instruction, flight assisted notification, and communicating with one or multiple mobile devices such for the information to be displayed visually, and is upgradable remotely.

An example method can include generating, via the first sensor, a first group of output tracks associated with a motion of a first target object; generating, via the second sensor, a second group of output tracks associated with the motion of a second target object; analyzing, via a track analysis module, the first group of output tracks and the second group of output tracks to determine whether the first target object and the second target object are a same object to yield a determination; and, when the determination indicates that the first target object and the second target object are the same object, presenting a graphical user interface on a computing device that enables a user to select whether to display on the graphical user interface: (1) a single track from the first group of output tracks or the second group of output tracks and (2) a fused group of tracks selected from the first group of output tracks or the second group of output tracks.

An airborne object detection system can include one or more imaging devices configured to be disposed on an aircraft and to produce imaging data of one or more portions of an environment surrounding the aircraft, and an object detection system operatively connected to the one or more imaging devices to receive the imaging data. The object detection system can be configured to determine whether there are one or more collision risk objects in the imaging data that will or are likely to collide with the aircraft based on the imaging data. The object detection system can be configured to determine a collision location on the aircraft that the one or more collision risk objects will or are likely to collide with.

A system and method for alerting when a trend vector associated with a traffic aircraft is predicted to intercept a travel route of an ownship aircraft. A control module receives real-time aircraft state data, flight plan data, and traffic data associated with the traffic aircraft. The control module processes these data and constructs the travel route of the ownship aircraft from the current location to the intended destination The control module generates the trend vector associated with the traffic aircraft, predicts a location of an intersection of the trend vector and the travel route, determines an amount of time it will take for the ownship aircraft to reach the location of the intersection, and generates display commands that cause the display device to generate an alert that visually distinguishes the location on the image based at least in part on the amount of time.

Systems and methods are disclosed for transporting people using air vehicles.