Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR-9) Wind Shear Processor: 1991 Test at Orlando, Florida
Abstract
An operational test of a Wind Shear Processor (WSP) add-on to the Federal Aviation Administration's airport surveillance radar (ASR-9) took place at Orlando International Airport during July and August 1991. The test allowed for both quantitative assessment of the WSP's signal processing and wind shear detection algorithms and for feedback from air traffic controllers and their supervisors on the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Thunderstorm activity during the test period was intense; low-altitude wind shear impacted the runways or approach/departure corridors on 40 of the 53 test days. As in previous evaluations of the WSP in the southeastern United States, microburst detection performance was very reliable. Over 95% of the strong microbursts that affected the Orlando airport during the test period were detected by the system. Gust front detection during the test, while operationally useful, was not as reliable as it should have been, given the quality of gust front signatures in the base reflectivity and radial velocity data from the WSP. Subsequent development of a Machine Intelligent gust front algorithm has resulted in significantly improved detection capability. Results from the operational test are being utilized in ongoing refinement of the WSP.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA252246
Entities
People
- M. E. Weber
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology