Downloads ATC-Wake D1_5.pdf 0.5M ATC-Wake D2_12.pdf 3.9M ATC-Wake D3_9.pdf 6.0M ATC-Wake D4_7.pdf 0.5M ATC-Wake D5_3.pdf 0.7M ATC-Wake D6_2.pdf 4.4M ATC-Wake Flyer.pdf 2.6M ATC-Wake Paper.pdf 4.8M   Contact: Dr. Ir. Lennaert Speijker

ATC-Wake

With the steady increase of air traffic, there is an urgent need for new innovative infrastructure systems enhancing the efficient use of airport facilities, while maintaining safety. An important hazard limiting today's airport capacity is wake vortices generated by aircraft with the potential of a dangerous encounter for follower aircraft. This is reflected in the ICAO aircraft separation scheme for single runway approaches, which serves to maintain acceptable standards of safety. An integrated Air Traffic Control (ATC) wake vortex safety and capacity system, used in combination with new modified wake vortex safety regulation, is expected to significantly enhance airport capacity.

The main objective of ATC-Wake is to develop and build an integrated platform that will lead to an ATC system installed at airports, enabling air traffic controllers to apply new weather based aircraft separation. Objectives are: To evaluate the interoperability of the integrated system with existing ATC systems currently used at various European airports; To assess the safety and capacity improvements that can be obtained by local installation of the integrated system at various European airports; To evaluate the operational usability and acceptability of the integrated system.

The safety of the ATC-wake operation is modelled and evaluated through the use of NLR' Wake Vortex Induced Risk assessment (WAVIR) methodology. Safety studies of three different ATC-Wake operations are being performed:

• ATC-Wake single runway arrivals;
• ATC-Wake departures;
• ATC-Wake closely spaced parallel runway arrivals.

These safety studies are being validated through the use of wake measurement data, the Air Safety database, and data obtained with NLR's Flight Simulator (GRACE). To enhance acceptability, the issue of harmonisation of wake vortex safety regulation is being investigated. This is done in the context of the EUROCONTROL Safety Regulatory Requirements (ESARRs) and the ICAO wake vortex induced separation criteria.

A further activity is to analyse both tactical and strategic benefits of using this integrated system at various European airports. Tactical benefits in terms of temporary capacity increases (to improve management of arrival flows while reducing holding). Strategic benefits in terms of runway capacity for airline schedule planning.

ATC-Wake is a project under the 5th Framework Programme of the European Commission, which is carried out by a European consortium under co-ordination of National Aerospace Laboratory NLR. Partners are EUROCONTROL, DLR, Thales Avionics, Thales Air Defence, and the Universite Catholique de Louvain.