Project Title:

Monitoring Weather Effects on Aircraft Wakes Using a Solid-State Coherent Lidar

92-1-03.02-8736                                                   NAS01-19878
Monitoring Weather Effects on Aircraft Wakes Using
     a Solid-State Coherent Lidar
Coherent Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 7488
Boulder, CO  80306
Stephen M. Hannon                                    (303-449-8736)

Abstract:

     A pulsed, coherent, two-micron lidar for monitoring the
persistence and decay of aircraft vortex wakes in the airport
terminal environment and for relating the wake history to the
local weather will be explored. The volume monitored is to be
large enough to enable monitoring of the ambient wind patterns at
scales that affect vortex wake transport and persistence. The goal
of this project is to use the high resolution capability of lidar
to enable simultaneous monitoring of the vortex dynamics, as well
as of the wind field environment in which the wake is embedded.
Such data will allow validation and extension of vortex transport
models and decay, as well as providing a direct link between data
available from large-scale, wind-field measuring systems and the
vortex hazard at airports. Detailed computer simulations of the
coherent lidar wind and wake vortex measurement process will be
used to determine the capability of a ground-based, two-micron
coherent lidar for the detection and measurement of landing
corridor winds and wake vortex velocities. An existing 2.09-
micron, pulsed, coherent lidar will be taken to an airport to
obtain experimental velocity data on wake vortices and measurement
of landing corridor winds.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Applications:  Commercial applications will
be for airport terminal area surveillance for wake vortices, winds
in the airport area, and microburst windshear. This technology is
also applicable for on-board airliner windshear detection.

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