Using aircraft as wind sensors for estimating accurate wind fields for air traffic management applications

Abstract

A study that examines the use of aircraft as wind sensors in a terminal area for real-time wind estimation in order to improve aircraft trajectory prediction is presented in this paper. We describe not only different sources in the aircraft systems that provide the variables needed to derivate the wind velocity but the capabilities which allow us to present this information for air traffic management applications. Based on wind speed samples from aircraft landing at Madrid-Barajas airport, a real-time wind field will be estimated using a data processing approach through a minimum variance method. Finally, the accuracy of this procedure will be evaluated for this information to be useful to air traffic control.