The ATC-Wake Predictor system and its potential use to increase the capacity at airports

The ATC-Wake project is funded by the EC under the “Information Society Technology” Programme. Main objective is the development of an Air Traffic Control Wake Vortex Safety and Capacity Integrated Platform (IP). This IP is used to evaluate interoperability with existing ATC systems, to assess possible safety and capacity improvements, and to evaluate operational usability and acceptability for air traffic controllers. It constitutes an essential step for installation of an “integrated ATC decision support system” at airports, enabling air traffic controllers to safely apply new optimised weather based aircraft spacing. The system integrates four new wake-vortex related subsystems: a Separation Mode Planner component (based on a weather forecasting and nowcasting system), a Predictor component (based on the weather nowcasting system and on a wake vortex prediction system), a Detector component (based on weather and wake sensors), a Monitoring and Alerting component (which notifies the air traffic controllers in case of a discrepancy between prediction and detection information), as well as Human Machine Interfaces to the controllers. Used in combination with new wake vortex safety regulation, the ATC-Wake System will provide both tactical and strategic benefits, while maintaining the required level of safety. This paper focuses on the ATC-Wake Predictor, which predicts for individual aircraft the wake vortex behavior in the pre-defined arrival or departure area(s). Prediction is performed using probabilistic wake vortex prediction models fed by real-time meteorological data (most recent nowcast data as well as ground or down-linked airborne measurements) from the time the aircraft reaches a critical arrival area entry until it lands and from the take-off until it leaves the critical departure area. The prediction quality being directly related to input data quality (meteorological and radar data), a safety buffer is applied to satisfy accuracy requirements of Air Traffic Controllers and/or regulatory authorities. The prediction is updated in short intervals (6 seconds) and the information is provided to ATC through a HMI in the form of a Wake Vortex Vector. It is also vaulted/assessed by wake vortex measurements (performed by the Detector) .