Wake vortex X-band radar monitoring: Paris-CDG Airport 2008 campaign results & prospectives

In order to improve the capacity of airports in view of the expected increasing amount of traffic the knowledge about the safety issues caused by wake vortices has to be improved. The final goal is to build up a wake vortex alert system to ensure the application of appropriate but not oversized safety distances in all weather conditions. Lidar systems are able to deliver very accurate data, but are also sensitive to the weather conditions like rain and fog. We did trials with the X-band radar BOR-A 550 on Paris-CDG Airport in June 2008 to benchmark Lidar & Radar Technologies. Continuous Detection, characterization (strength: circulation), and profiling (age: young/mature /old/decaying) capabilities of wake vortices up to a range of 1500 m have been proved in clear air and rainy weather. The Doppler resolution of around 0.2 m/s used with regularized high Doppler resolution techniques is able to characterize the wake vortex speed distribution in detail. X-band Radar is a full-fledged alternative, which can make a significant contribution to a wake vortex alert system.