In-Time Flight Risk Assessment Tool (IFRAT) with Certification Compliance

This proposal develops an In-Time Flight Risk Assessment Tool (IFRAT) and adds an evaluation of certification and regulatory compliance to further expand upon a traditional FRAT. The IFRAT tool could be used by pilots/dispatchers in place of a traditional FRAT and by USS’ to assist with flight planning/approval. The IFRAT provides a framework for in-time flight approvals to support UAS BVLOS, operations over people and moving vehicles, m:N operations, and later manned operations in a Digital Flight Rules (DFR) environment. The IFRAT will build upon Anzen’s current static safety case tools to become a secure, in-time cloud-based service with defined interfaces to many UTM-USS’ (through ASTM’s F3548 standard for UTM-USS Interoperability). As part of flight planning, the pilot/dispatcher will identify the planned aircraft, equipment/AE, flight route, and operator information, which is then transmitted to the IFRAT. The IFRAT then checks that the: • Pilot, organization, equipment/AE, and aircraft had the appropriate approvals for the requested flight plan • Planned flight is compatible with the location’s characteristics (i.e. air and ground risk) • Required aircraft safety and communications equipment is operational If the proposed operation is consistent with the operator’s approved safety case and certification, then the IFRAT sends the request to the UTM-USS for deconfliction and other USS services (e.g. weather SDSP). If the IFRAT detects an inconsistency with the approved configuration or location, the pilot/dispatcher is notified of the discrepancy before take-off. IFRAT also provides data for organizations to proactively address “no-go” causes as part of their SMS, and for organizations like NASA and the FAA look at anonymized industry data for potential safety improvements.

• NASA’s Ground Risk Assessment Service Provider (GRASP). This proposal would assist in NASA’s goal of utilizing research efforts for commercialization purposes. • NASA In-time System Wide Safety Assurance • NASA ATM-X Digital Information Platform • Unmanned Traffic Management • Advance Air Mobility • NASA Flight Operations to determine go/no-go based on risk • Anonymized data from the IFRAT could be used to identify trends for causes of “no-go”, such as location characteristics, equipment configuration, training discrepancies, etc. • Aviation operators could use this tool to ensure the risk levels associated with their flight operations are always within acceptable levels as determined by their individual safety case and operations. • FAA Part 107 automated safety and certification compliance verification • FAA NextGen enhancements for safety and certification checks • FAA SWIM integration with FIMS/DSS and UTM-USS • FAA waivers and exemption approval automation • Rail transportation safety and certification compliance checking • USS’ could utilize this tool to ensure incoming flight plan requests are compliant and safe prior to strategic deconfliction and request approval.

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