Improved Wind Shear Detection for Aviation Operations

Low level Wind shear can affect aircraft performance and has potentially adverse effects on flight safety during landing and take-off phases. Providing immediate and accurate data relating to all prevailing wind conditions including low level wind shear on the runway is crucial for approaching aircraft. Providing the pilot with a complete and comprehensive analysis of wind conditions will facilitate the pilot’s decision to land or to go-around. The problem caused by low level wind shear on aircraft is well documented and recognised in the literature. The aviation industry concluded that the majority of accidents that occurred over the past 10 years have occurred during the approach, landing and go-around flight phases. At the Go-Around Safety Forum in Brussels in 2013, it was concluded that due to rapid changing weather and runway conditions, a pilot does not always have the latest information on which to make a landing or go-around decision. A solution to the problem of forecasting low level wind shear and turbulence for the approach, landing and go-around flight phases for aircraft could be addressed by incorporating the Wind Urchin as part of the Wind Shear Alerting System.