Flight Training Syllabus Structure Impact on Proactive Planning of High-Performance Military Aircraft Pilot Training Operations in Flexible Airspace Structures

Nikola Mostarac
Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia

Andrea Reščić
Croatia Control Ltd.

Tomislav Mihetec
Croatia Control Ltd.

Doris Novak
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences

Abstract

European airspace is marked by fragmentation, and from fragmentation originated congestion. As an answer to congestion, flexible use of airspace is created to ful-fil all users’ requirements optimally, and at its very core lies civil-military cooperation and the coordination of airspace use. Such an approach is enabled by collabo-rative decision-making, which presumes timely and com-plete exchange of complete relevant information between airspace users. To participate in the process, the mili-tary should be transparent regarding its restrictions and capabilities of adaptation to other airspace users’ de-mands. Flight training syllabus structure and its specific impact on proactive planning of high-performance mili-tary aircraft pilot training operations in flexible airspace structures is the subject of this research. Significant di-versity in the hourly distribution of civil traffic demand in flexible airspace structures in Zagreb FIR proves them applicable for a proactive approach to high-performance aircraft pilot training operations planning and manage-ment. Noticeable reduction in the number of civil aircraft affected by high-performance aircraft pilot training op-erations in flexible airspace structures at congested flight levels is corroborated. Simulations of proactive planning of high-performance aircraft pilot training operations reveal indications of flight syllabus structure’s impact on pilot flight training duration, as well as the possibility to manage its restrictions.