The Boeing Company
OPTIMIZING A FLIGHT OF AN AIRCRAFT WITH AT LEAST ONE SEGMENT OF FORMATION FLIGHT

Abstract:

A method is provided for optimizing a flight of an aircraft with at least one segment of formation flight. The method includes accessing flight plans for flights of a fleet, and transforming the flight plans into values of a set of features that describe segments of the flights. The values are applied to a machine learning model trained to predict the segment(s) during which the aircraft is within a region that includes at least one second aircraft of the fleet that is thereby capable of serving as a leading aircraft in the segment(s) of formation flight in which the aircraft is a trailing aircraft. A notification is sent to the aircraft of the segment(s) and the second aircraft capable of serving as the leading aircraft. And a second notification is sent to the second aircraft of the segment(s) and the aircraft capable of serving as the trailing aircraft.