SAC Contrail Formation Study

Abstract

This report documents the results of a study that compares the Appleman contrail forecasting method used at the Air Force Global Weather Central (AFGWC) with the SAC method using pilot report (PIREP) data collected by SAC/DOW between March 1990 and July 1991. The study resulted in development of two other contrail forecasting techniques. The first (ETACFCST) was developed using discriminant analysis schemes to obtain best fit curves of contrail formation as a function of altitude and temperature, or altitude, temperature, and vertical motion. Statistics showed ETACFCST to be better than either the Appleman or SAC contrail prediction curves. But another technique developed near the end of the study incorporated aircraft engine type as a factor for the first time. The new engine-specific contrail forecasting technique is recommended as a replacement for the Appleman method used at AFGWC.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA254410

Entities

People

  • Brian M. Bjornson

Organizations

  • Air Force Technical Applications Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Engines
  • Aircrafts
  • Algorithms
  • Condensation Trails
  • Critical Temperature
  • Data Sets
  • Databases
  • Detection
  • Diagrams
  • Discriminant Analysis
  • Equations
  • False Alarms
  • Grids
  • Information Science
  • Level Flight
  • Statistical Analysis

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Regression Analysis.