Airborne wind shear detection and alert system
Encyclopedia
The Airborne wind shear detection and alert system, fitted in an aircraft
, detects and alerts the pilot both visually and aurally of a wind shear
condition. In case of reactive wind shear detection system, the detection takes place when the aircraft penetrates a wind shear condition of sufficient force, which can pose a hazard to the aircraft. In case of predictive wind shear detection system, the detection takes place, if such wind shear condition is ahead of the aircraft. In 1988 the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
mandated that all turbine-powered commercial aircraft must have on-board windshear detection systems by 1993. Airlines successfully lobbied to have commercial turbo-prop aircraft exempted from this requirement.
In the predictive wind shear detection mode, the weather radar processor of the aircraft detects the presence of the microburst
, a type of vertical wind shear condition by detecting the Doppler frequency shift of the microwave pulses caused by the microburst ahead of the aircraft and displays the area where it is present in the Navigation Display Unit (of the Electronic Flight Instrument System
) along with an aural warning.
On September 1, 1994, the weather radar model RDR-4B of the Allied-Signal/Bendix (presently Honeywell) became the first predictive wind-shear system to be certified for commercial airline operation. In the same year, Continental Airlines became the first commercial carrier to install an airborne predictive wind-shear detection system on its aircraft. By June 1996, Rockwell Collins and Westinghouse's Defense and Electronics Group (presently Grumman/Martin) also came up with FAA-certified predictive wind-shear detection systems.
The IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society
is presently conducting researches for further developments of this system.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, detects and alerts the pilot both visually and aurally of a wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
condition. In case of reactive wind shear detection system, the detection takes place when the aircraft penetrates a wind shear condition of sufficient force, which can pose a hazard to the aircraft. In case of predictive wind shear detection system, the detection takes place, if such wind shear condition is ahead of the aircraft. In 1988 the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
mandated that all turbine-powered commercial aircraft must have on-board windshear detection systems by 1993. Airlines successfully lobbied to have commercial turbo-prop aircraft exempted from this requirement.
In the predictive wind shear detection mode, the weather radar processor of the aircraft detects the presence of the microburst
Microburst
A microburst is a very localized column of sinking air, producing damaging divergent and straight-line winds at the surface that are similar to, but distinguishable from, tornadoes, which generally have convergent damage. There are two types of microbursts: wet microbursts and dry microbursts...
, a type of vertical wind shear condition by detecting the Doppler frequency shift of the microwave pulses caused by the microburst ahead of the aircraft and displays the area where it is present in the Navigation Display Unit (of the Electronic Flight Instrument System
Electronic Flight Instrument System
An electronic flight instrument system is a flight deck instrument display system in which the display technology used is electronic rather than electromechanical. EFIS normally consists of a primary flight display , multi-function display and engine indicating and crew alerting system display...
) along with an aural warning.
History of development
On July 24, 1986, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of United States and NASA signed a memorandum of agreement to formally begin the Airborne Wind-Shear Detection and Avoidance Program (AWDAP). As a result, a wind-shear program was created in the Flight Systems Directorate of NASA's Langley Research Center. After five years of intensely studying various weather phenomena and sensor technologies, the researchers decided to validate their findings in actual flight conditions. They chose an extensively modified Boeing 737, which was equipped with a rear research cockpit in place of the forward section of the passenger cabin. A modified Rockwell Collins model 708 X-band ground-based radar unit was used in the AWDAP experiments. The real-time radar processor system used during 1992 flight experiments was a VME bus-based system with a Motorola 68030 host processor and three DSP boards.On September 1, 1994, the weather radar model RDR-4B of the Allied-Signal/Bendix (presently Honeywell) became the first predictive wind-shear system to be certified for commercial airline operation. In the same year, Continental Airlines became the first commercial carrier to install an airborne predictive wind-shear detection system on its aircraft. By June 1996, Rockwell Collins and Westinghouse's Defense and Electronics Group (presently Grumman/Martin) also came up with FAA-certified predictive wind-shear detection systems.
The IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society
IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society
The ' is a professional society of the IEEE.- Field of Interest :The IEEE ITS Society states on its that its Field of Interest is in "theoretical, experimental and operational aspects of electrical and electronics engineering and information technologies as applied to Intelligent Transportation...
is presently conducting researches for further developments of this system.