Free Flight (air Traffic Control) - What Is Free Flight?

What Is Free Flight?

Free flight is a new concept being developed to take the place of the current air traffic management methods through the use of technology. True free flight eliminates the need for Air Traffic Control (ATC) operators by giving the responsibility to the pilot in command. This gives the pilot the ability to change trajectory in mid-flight. With the aid of computer systems and/or ATC, pilots will be able to make more flight path decisions independently. As in most complex systems, distributed yet cooperative decision making is believed to be more efficient than the centralized control characterized by the current mode of air traffic management.