Research Summaries

Back Wake Vortex III

Fiscal Year 2018
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Meteorology
Investigator(s) Jonsson, Haflidi H.
Sponsor Project Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (Army)
Summary The US Army is concerned about the effects wing-tip vortexes on safety of personnel and goods during parachute deliveries. This concern is particularly associated with air-drops from the Army’s C-17 aircraft, which sometimes operate in groups of several airplanes. The question we tackle is: What is a safe distance between airplanes under different conditions, where chances are minimal that deliveries from one airplane can be entrained into the vortex from a previous plane. Army scientists have developed analytical models to estimate these distances, but are in need of in-situ measurements to validate their models.
The NPS Twin Otter research aircraft was deployed in 2016 to Yuma, AZ to measure winds and turbulence behind a C-17 before and after air-drops, under various conditions of atmospheric stability (Wake Vortex II). This is a follow up on that project, where we explore the effects of humidity on longevity of wakes in the marine boundary layer. In 2014 an experiment had been done at Dugway Proving grounds in Utah, with only ground-based wind lidars (Wake Vortex I)
Keywords Atmospheric Stability Wind Wingtip Vortex
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal