Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) Version 3f

AEDT 3f was released on December 15, 2023 and is the latest version of AEDT. This release is a free upgrade for existing licensed users of AEDT 2b up to 3e.

All FAA actions requiring noise, fuel burn or emissions modeling and for which the environmental analysis process has begun on or after December 15, 2023 are required to use AEDT 3f (build 210.0.19778.1).

Guidance on the version of AEDT to be used is outlined in a memo available with documentation accompanying the AEDT 3f installer.

AEDT Version 3f Highlights

Starting with the AEDT 3f release, Microsoft SQL Server 2022 is officially supported in addition to SQL Server 2017.

AEDT 3f introduces a number of improvements to emissions calculations:

  • Greenhouse gas (GHG) calculations from the major sources of airport emissions: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) can now be generated in AEDT emissions reports for Auxiliary Power Units (APU), Ground Support Equipment (GSE), and stationary sources.
  • Update to CAEP12 Working Group 3 non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) Mission Emissions Estimation Method (MEEM): this is an update to the existing FOA4.0 nvPM estimation method which calculates emissions based on peak Emission Index mass and number values when reported by engine manufacturers.
  • Update to fuel flow adjustments for taxi emissions in accordance with SAE AIR-8035.
  • Harmonization of noise and emissions inputs for runup operations: users can specify the number of operative engines and thrust value per engine for runup operations.

AEDT 3f also includes the following improvements to dispersion modeling:

  • Characterization of aircraft sources as volume sources: added ability to characterize aircraft operations including airborne, ground roll, and taxi segments, as volume sources rather than area sources for emissions dispersion modeling.
  • Ability to generate PM2.5 dispersion results without NAAQS full year restriction: PM2.5 can be modeled for a period less than one year.
  • Expansion of runup operations to support dispersion modeling: added ability to model dispersion using runup operations and added two new source groups – Preflight Check and Engine Maintenance.
  • AERMOD and AERMET update to version 23132.

Other highlights from this release include:

  • Updated pressure and temperature profiles through tropopause.
  • Added ability to import APU duration for aircraft operations in CSV files.
  • Support for the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year 2020 data for Limited English Proficiency analyses and backwards compatibility with 2015 ACS Data.
  • Updates to the source of USA Census Block Groups and Tracts shapefile layers used for the Environmental Justice & Limited English Proficiency.
  • Airport, Fleet and Study database updates.
BADA License Requirement for AEDT 3f

If you are a new AEDT user, please refer to the AEDT purchasing steps in the Pricing page. 

Existing AEDT 3b / 3c / 3d / 3e users do not need to re-apply for the BADA license for AEDT 3 in advance of downloading AEDT 3f.

Existing AEDT 2b / 2c / 2d users must apply for the BADA license for AEDT 3 even if you were previously approved for AEDT 2. This is because BADA 3 and BADA 4 are two distinct and different models. You will not be allowed to download the AEDT 3 software until EUROCONTROL approves your license request. Please visit https://www.eurocontrol.int/model/bada; the access procedure for the EUROCONTROL's OneSky Online is explained at the bottom of the page. Once you are logged in the BADA User Interface website, you can request a license. Select “Tools where BADA is integrated” as the license type and select "AEDT 3" as the name of the tool.

System Requirements and Specifications

The recommended specifications are listed with suggested minimums where applicable. AEDT is a stand-alone Windows based application. However, through the use of Microsoft SQL Server connectivity, it is possible to connect multiple computational clients to one central database server. AEDT requires administrative privileges for installation and execution.

 

Using the SQL Server requires additional configuration steps. Please refer to the Section 5.2.2 in the AEDT 3f Installation Manual.

  AEDT 3f System Requirements
Minimum Noise Only
(Recommended) 		Emissions Dispersion and Multi-Airport Studies (Recommended) 1
Operating System2 Microsoft Windows 10 (x64) Microsoft Windows 10 (x64) or
Windows Server 2016		 Microsoft Windows 10 (x64) or
Windows Server 2016
Processor Modern dual core processor with
2 GHz or higher clock 		Modern many core (>2) processors with
2 GHz or higher clock 		Modern many core (>2) processors with
2 GHz or higher clock
RAM 8 GB Memory 16 GB Memory 64 GB Memory or more
Hard Disk Space 100 GB Storage 500 GB Storage 500 GB Solid State Drive (SSD) for single airport emissions dispersion

4 TB or more SSD for large scale emissions analysis
Microsoft
SQL Server 		Express Edition,
Version 2017 or 2022		 Standard / Enterprise Edition,
Version 2017 or 2022		 Standard / Enterprise Edition,
Version 2017 or 2022,
running on the SSD
Other Software Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader

1 While it is possible to generate emissions dispersion metric results with less than the recommended configuration, the time required for those runs to complete will be significantly longer.

2 Use Microsoft Update to ensure your computer has the latest priority updates. Visit www.update.microsoft.com.

AEDT 3f Documentation

Documentation for AEDT 3f may be updated over time; please check back occasionally for updates.

For Further Information

If you have any questions regarding the features of AEDT, please contact us at aedt-support@dot.gov.