Airport Wind Observation Architectural Analysis

Project Report ATC-443

Airport Wind Observations Architectural Analysis

Lincoln Laboratory

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS

David A. Clark Richard F. Ferris Darius D. Moradi

10 July 2018

Prepared for the Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC 20591

This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161

This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Air Force Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0001. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FAA.

? 2018 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Delivered to the U.S. Government with Unlimited Rights, as defined in DFARS Part 252.227-7013 or 7014 (Feb 2014). Notwithstanding any copyright notice, U.S. Government rights in this work are defined by DFARS 252.227-7013 or DFARS 252.227-7014 as detailed above. Use of this work other than as specifically authorized by the U.S. Government may violate any copyrights that exist in this work.

1. Report No. ATC-443

2. Government Accessi.oanndN/oor .

4. Title and Subtitle Airport Wind Observations Architectural Analysis

TECHNICAL REPORT STANDARD TITLE PAGE 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

5. Report Date 10 July 2018

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) D.A. Clark, R.F. Ferris, D.D. Moradi

8. Performing Organization Report No. ATC-443

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

MIT Lincoln Laboratory 244 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02421

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20591

15. Supplementary Notes

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No. FA8702-15-D-0001

13. Type of Report and Period Covered Project Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

This report is based on studies performed at Lincoln Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under Air Force Contract FA8702-15-D-0001.

16. Abstract

The analysis presented here identifies potential shortfalls in the current wind information architecture, and offers recommendations for improvements that would serve the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the context of Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) enabled concepts. The methodology relied on interviews and discussions with stakeholders, review of existing problem reports and operational logs, search and review of documentation related to wind sensors and operational policy, and analysis of airport wind sensor data. An immediate action to follow up on this architectural analysis would be to initiate a systematic process for evaluating and prioritizing the relative cost/benefit tradeoffs at individual airports.

17. Key Words

19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified

FORM DOT F 1700.7 (8-72)

18. Distribution Statement

This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified

21. No. of Pages 76

Reproduction of completed page authorized

22. Price

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Wind information is a critical element for ensuring safe aviation operations, particularly while performing low altitude takeoff and landing procedures. Across the National Airspace System (NAS), supporting wind observations are currently collected across a multitude of different sensor platforms whose configuration varies substantially from airport to airport, largely dependent upon airport physical size, traffic volume, and hazardous wind shear exposure. For more than a decade, chronic concerns from air traffic controllers and pilots have emerged regarding the consistency and reliability of wind information at a number of locations.

The analysis presented here identifies potential shortfalls in the current wind information architecture, and offers recommendations for improvements that would serve the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the context of Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) enabled concepts. The methodology relied on interviews and discussions with stakeholders, review of existing problem reports and operational logs, search and review of documentation related to wind sensors and operational policy, and analysis of airport wind sensor data. An immediate action to follow up on this architectural analysis would be to initiate a systematic process for evaluating and prioritizing the relative cost/benefit tradeoffs at individual airports.

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