The motion of wake vortices in the terminal environment

PDFTech ReportVorticesJet propelled aircraftBackscatteringFlow measurementLandingWakesTurbulenceAirport terminalsNew York (New York)American Meteorological SocietyHallock, J. N.Wood, W.Spitzer, E AUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Transportation Systems CenterNTL-AVIATION-AVIATIONNTL-AVIATION-Aviation Energy and EnvironmentNTL-AVIATION-Aviation Safety/AirworthinessVolpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterThe phenomenon of aircraft wake vortices has been known since the beginning of powered flight. However, the potential danger of encountering wake vortices has only recently become apparent. Within a few years, a significant fraction of the civil air transport fleet will consist of wide-body jets in addition to the heavy B-707 and stretch DC-8 which generate vortices comparable in strength to the wide-body jets. Airport terminal areas, where light and heavy aircraft operate in close proximity and where the chance of a vortex/aircraft encounter is greatest, are of particular concern. To prevent aircraft/vortex encounters, the Federal Aviation Administration increased the separation standards behind heavy jets. But these increased separations decrease the capacity of the airport system and the present and predicted demands on airports cannot realistically be met by just constructing additional runway