S-WAKE - Assessment of Wake Vortex Safety
The S-WAKE research project, financed by the European Union since January, 1st. 2000, is tasked with broadening the scientific knowledge on the safety of aircraft wake vortex encounters.
Topic of the S-WAKE project is enhanced research of aircraft encountering wake vortices and the influence on flight safety. The project is closely linked with its sister project "C-WAKE", also financed by the EU. Topic of C-WAKE is research on the field of wake vortex generation. An additional related EU-project, I-WAKE, with the topic of wake vortex detection, has been proposed but has not yet commenced. All three projects have been predecessed by the WAVENC project which ended early 2000.
Researchwithin S-WAKE focuses on the following topics:
- Classifying predictable weather classes for wake vortex safety.
- Research of wake vortex evolution and decay under a variety of weather conditions.
- Improving the wake vortex encounter modelling.
- Enhancing flight simulation capabilities and validations e.g. by flight test.
- Assessment of wake vortex influence on flight safety.
- Analysis of large amounts of data collected in the vicinity of international airports.
- others...
Research activities of Flight Mechanics & Control Group within the S-WAKE project include the following:
- Enhanced physical modelling of wake vortex encounter and deduction of the resulting additional aerodynamic forces and moments.
- Development of a real-time capable numerical program for enhanced calculation of additional forces and moments due to wake vortex encounter.
- Linking this enhanced encounter program with different numerical and analytical wake vortex models.
- Implementation of wake vortex encounter models into multiple flightsimulators used for training and research.
- Dynamic experiments on the influence of wake vortex encounter by piloted simulation using multiple simulators (Airbus 340/330, Dornier Do228).
Partners of the S-WAKE consortium apart TU Berlin are:
- National Aerospace Laboratory NLR - Netherlands - Project Co-Ordinator
- DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH - Germany
- DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus GmbH - Germany
- DLR ("Institute of Flight Research" and "Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre") - Germany
- TU Braunschweig - Germany
- ONERA - France
- CERFACS - France
- Meteo-France - France
- Instituto Superior Téchnico - Portugal
- National Air Traffic Services Ltd. - Great Britain
- Britisch Airways plc - Great Britain
- Flight Data Company Ltd. - Great Britain
- UK Meterological Office - Great Britain