TFMSC: Definitions of Variables

The following definitions define the fields in the TFMSC reports:

• Aircraft ID (ACID). Aircraft identification code.
• Aircraft. Three- or four-character code identifying the aircraft, followed by name of aircraft.
• Airplane Approach Category (AAC). Grouping of aircraft based on approach speeds. See the FAA's aircraft characteristics database [1] for more information on aircraft characteristics.
• Airplane Design Group (ADG). Grouping of aircraft based on wingspan. See the FAA's aircraft characteristics database [2] for more information on aircraft characteristics.
• Arrival (AC+AT, GA, MIL, Total). Total number of arrivals listed as Air Carrier and Air Taxi, General Aviation, and Military.
• Arrival Date. Date of arrival of selected flight.
• Arrival Hour. One-hour interval of selected flight arrival (minutes are not included).
• Arrival Location ID. Three-letter code identifying the arrival airport.
• Arrival Seats. Total number of seats on all arriving aircraft.
• Arrival. Three-letter code identifying the airport of arrival, followed by name of airport.
• Arrivals. Number of arrivals at a selected airport or group of airports.
• Average Arrival Seats. Average number of seats per arrival.
• Average Departure Seats. Average number of seats per departure.
• Business Aviation. Grouping option for all equipment used by the part of general aviation that focuses on the business use of airplanes and helicopters. As a Filter option, it shows as a Y/N field.
• Business Jet. Filter option indicating jet aircraft owned by a single or a group of individuals/corporations, and which is usually not operated in a schedule. Permissible values are: Yes/No.
• Carrier Code. Three-letter code identifying the carrier.
• Departure (AC+AT, GA, MIL, Total). Total number of departure sorted as Air Carrier and Air Taxi, General Aviation, and Military.
• Departure Date. Date of departure of selected flight.
• Departure Hour. One-hour interval of selected flight departure (minutes are not included).
• Departure Location ID. Three-letter code identifying the departure airport.
• Departure Seats. Total number of seats on all departing aircraft.
• Departure. Three-letter code identifying the airport of departure, followed by name of airport.
• Departures. Number of departures at a selected airport or group of airports.
• DZ to AZ (hh:mm). Difference between arrival and departure message times sent by the En Route Modernization Automation Modernization (ERAM) system to TFMS, expressed in hours and minutes.
• Estimated Time Enroute. The flight plan filed ETE (Estimated Time Enroute) is the planned airborne time, in minutes.
• TFMS Equipment. TFMS Aircraft Type designator, followed by the name of the aircraft. The designator is usually a three- or four-character field extracted from an TFMS flight plan.
• TFMS Total. Total count of flights reported by TFMS. Variable does not include TFMS records if user class is ‘Other’ or missing and does not include TFMS records missing specific times (hour = NA). This variable is available in reports generated in the Distributed OPSNET view only.
• TFMS% of OPSNET. Comparison between distributed OPSNET counts and TFMS counts expressed as a percentage. Variable does not include TFMS records if user class is ‘Other’ or missing and does not include TFMS records missing specific times (hour = NA). Variable available in reports generated in the Distributed OPSNET view only.
• Flight Index. One component of the TFMS primary key provided by the NAS Data Warehouse.
• Flight Type. Filter option indicating flight direction. Permitted variables are: Domestic (both arrival and departure are in the US), US to Foreign, Foreign to US, and Foreign (both arrival and departure are in a foreign country).
• Flights. Number of flights.
• Hour. In reports generated in the Distributed OPSNET view only, hour interval used by TFMS to distribute OPSNET counts, expressed by the 24-hour clock.
• Maximum Altitude Level (100ft). The maximum altitude level that was achieved by the aircraft during flight.
• Oceanic. A flight that crosses an ocean and generates "TO" messages. Oceanic flights must have values for all fields in the record to be used for metric computation. Incomplete flight records are not used for metric computation, but are included in Efficiency Counts at airports. As a grouping option, it indicates enroute IFR or overflights that cross oceanic airspace. (Yes/No).
• OPSNET Total. Total operation counts reported by OPSNET and distributed by TFMS into departures and arrivals and by the hour of the day. Variable available in reports generated in the Distributed OPSNET view only.
• Physical Class. Categories of aircraft engines. Permissible values are: turbine, jet, piston, and helicopter.
• Regional Jet. Filter option indicating a commercial jet aircraft carrying fewer than 100 passengers (i.e., Embraer 190 or Bombardier CRJ-200). Permissible values are: Yes/No.
• Seats per Flight. Number of seats per selected flight.
• Seats. The number of seats derived from the equipment type.
• Statute Miles (or Statute Miles Flown). Number of statute miles flown based on city pair great circle route.
• Statute Miles per Flight. Number of statute miles flown per flight based on city pair great circle route.
• Taxiway Design Group (TDG). Grouping of aircraft based on gear geometry affecting turning radius. See the FAA's aircraft characteristics database [3] for more information on aircraft characteristics.
• Time Flown (hh:mm). Amount of time flown, expressed in hours and minutes based on the DZ to AZ time.
• Time Flown Per Flight. Amount of time flown per flight, expressed in hours and minutes based on the DZ to AZ time.
• Total Operations. Total number of operations at a selected airports or group of airports.
• User Class. Designations assigned by the NAS Data Warehouse based on the equipment reported: Commercial, Freight, Air Taxi, General Aviation, and Military.
• Weight Class. TFMS Aircraft are divided into categories related to impact on wake turbulence: (A) heavy (any aircraft weighing more than 255,000 lb such as the Boeing 747 or the Airbus A340); (B) B757 for Boeing 757 all series; (C) large jet (large jet aircraft weighing more than 41,000 and up to 255,000 lbs such as the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320); (D) large commuter (large commuter non-jet aircraft including small regional jets weighing more than 41,000 and up to 255,000 lbs such as the Aerospatiale/Alenia ATR-42 , the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet, or the Saab SF 340); (E) medium (small commuter aircraft including business jets weighing more than 12,500 up to 41,000 lbs such as the Embraer 120 or the Learjet 35); and (F) small equipment (small, single, or twin engine aircraft weighing 12,500 lbs or less such as the Beech 90 or the Cessna Caravan). Unknown refers to unspecified equipment.