A flight simulation environment is being enhanced to facilitate experiments that evaluate research prototypes of advanced onboard weather radar, hazard / integrity monitoring (HIM), and integrated alerting and notification (IAN) concepts in adverse weather conditions. The simulation environment uses weather data based on real weather events to support operational scenarios in a terminal area.A simulated atmospheric environment was realized by using numerical weather data sets. These were produced from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model hosted and run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To align with the planned flight simulation experiment requirements, several HRRR data sets were acquired courtesy of NOAA. These data sets coincided with severe weather events at the Memphis International Airport (MEM) in Memphis, TN. In addition, representative flight tracks for approaches and departures at MEM were generated and used to develop and test simulations of (1) The simulation includes a weather radar display that provides weather and turbulence modes, derived from the modeled weather along the flight track. The radar capabilities and the pilots controls simulate current-generation commercial weather radar systems. Appropriate data-linked weather advisories (e.g., SIGMET) were derived from the HRRR weather models and provided to the pilot consistent with NextGen concepts of use for Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) and Meteorological (MET) data link products.The net result of this simulation development was the creation of an environment that supports investigations of new flight deck information systems, methods for incorporation of better weather information, and pilot interface and operational improvements for better aviation safety. This research is part of a larger effort at NASA to study the impact of the growing complexity of operations, information, and systems on crew decision-making and response effectiveness; and then to recommend methods for improving future designs.
The Forward-Looking Interferometer (FLI) is an airborne sensor concept for detection and estimation of potential atmospheric hazards to aircraft. To be commercially viable such a sensor should address multiple hazards to justify the costs of development, certification, installation, training, and maintenance. The FLI concept is based on high-resolution infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometry (FTS) technologies that have been developed for satellite remote sensing. These technologies have also been applied to the detection of aerosols and gases for other purposes. The FLI is being evaluated for its potential to address multiple hazards, during all phases of flight, including clear air turbulence (CAT), volcanic ash, wake vortices, low slant range visibility, dry wind shear, and icing. In addition, the FLI is being evaluated for its potential to detect hazardous runway conditions during landing, such as wet or icy asphalt or concrete. The validation of model-based instrument and hazard simulation results is accomplished by comparing predicted performance against empirical data. Models for FLI measurables for mountain wave turbulence were developed during the previous phases of the project. Prior to the field campaign, these models were used to predict what the sensors should have been able to detect, based on expected instrument performance. After the data collection activities, the empirical data was used to update and validate the existing models. This iterative process was employed during the course of the project as new empirical results became available. Previous research programs, focused on forward-looking airborne sensors such as Doppler radars and lidars to detect and forecast turbulence, have produced many tools for analysis, modeling, and simulation. Following on the methods used in the airborne radar turbulence detection problem, relationships between the statistics of an atmospheric disturbance (such as the temperature field) and those of the https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20120011814 2018-05-10T00:12:31+00:00ZAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2 sensor measurements (the spectral radiance) will be developed. In the mountain lee wave data collected in the previous FLI project, the data showed a damped, periodic mountain wave structure. The wave data itself will be of use in forecast and nowcast turbulence products such as the Graphical Turbulence Guidance (GTG) and Graphical Turbulence Guidance Nowcast (GTG-N) products. Determining how turbulence hazard estimates can be derived from FLI measurements will require further investigation.
A flight simulation environment was enhanced to facilitate experiments that evaluate research prototypes of advanced onboard weather radar, hazard / integrity monitoring (HIM), and integrated alerting and notification (IAN) concepts in adverse weather conditions. The simulation environment uses weather data representing actual conditions in an airport terminal area. A simulated atmospheric environment was realized using numerical weather data sets produced from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model hosted and run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To align with the planned flight simulation experiment requirements, several HRRR data sets were acquired courtesy of NOAA. These data sets coincided with severe weather events at the Memphis International Airport (MEM) in Memphis, TN. In addition, representative flight tracks for approaches and departures at MEM were generated and used to develop and test simulations of (1) what onboard sensors such as the weather radar would observe; (2) what data links of weather information would provide; and (3) what atmospheric conditions the aircraft would experience (e.g. turbulence, winds, and icing).Results from the use of the enhanced flight simulation environment during the piloted experiments will be presented. A weather radar display was utilized by the test subject pilots in both weather and turbulence modes. The radar capabilities and the pilot controls simulated current-generation commercial weather radar systems. Data linked weather advisories were also provided to the pilots consistent with Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) concepts of use for Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) and Meteorological (MET) data link products. Additional results of the simulation experiments included verification that the weather environment supports investigations of new flight deck information systems, flight deck integration of weather information, and pilot interfaces.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.