NASA's technology to help airlines cut fuel consumption

TAP software developed by NASA to be tested over the next three years

Virgin America and Alaska Airlines will test the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) over the next three years.

New technology developed to help airlines cut-down their flight time and fuel use will be tested by two commercial airlines. New software monitor that suggests faster routes would enable huge fuel and carbon emission savings.

The TAP system works as an app that connects directly to the plane's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver and the Internet.

David Wing, from NASA's TASAR (Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests) project, declares: "The system is meant to help pilots make better route requests that air traffic controllers can more often approve. This should help pilots and controllers work more effectively together and reduce workload on both sides from un-approvable requests."

The new app will save time and fuel money for companies, decrease carbon emissions into the environment and will also make air traffic controllers' job easier when they approve route changes (TASAR project). The application will monitor plane position, altitude, flight route, air traffic, weather conditions and will enable pilots to choose or change routes to save time and fuel.

Alaska's Airlines vice-president Tom Kemp welcomes the TASAR project and considers it to be a helpful app also for pilots: "Up until now there has been no way to deliver comprehensive wind and congestion data to pilots in near-real time. TASAR is a 'super app' that will give our pilots better visibility to what’s happening now versus three hours earlier when the flight plan was prepared."

The TAP system has already been tested aboard a Plaggio P180 Avanti, but the goal was to perfect the technology in order to be used aboard the commercial planes.