Paper 149 -- The Area Flow Multi-Sector Planner: A Fast-Time Study of MSP Coordination Activities

The FAA is investigating changes in the working procedures for the en route air traffic controller. These investigations have resulted in the development of the Multi- Sector Planner (MSP) concept, where the MSP is a planning controller providing strategic planning to multiple radar controllers for a specific area of responsibility. A real-time simulation (RTS) of two different MSP concepts was conducted in 2006 [1] and upon analysis of the results as well as other research efforts [2], it was determined that the MSP acting in an Area Flow Manager role showed the most promise in relation to the mid-term objectives, and that the next phase of the analysis should consider coordination activities for multiple MSP controllers over a wider area. This report summarizes the findings of that analysis.