 |
 |
17 Jun 2002
Juneau, Alaska, may become the world's first airport to employ a new turbulence detection and warning system developed by scientists at the National Center forAtmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. Originally developed for Hong Kong's new Chek Lap Kok Airport, scheduled to open in fall 1998, the systemalerts air traffic controllers and pilots to choppy winds at airports located near mountainous terrain.
The Juneau airport is especially challenging because takeoffs sometimes require a 180-degree turn inside a channel between an island and the mainland, both withsteep terrain. Often the plane is being pummeled by high winds. The Juneau airport is especially challenging because takeoffs sometimes require a 180-degree turninside a channel between an island and the mainland, both with steep terrain. Often the plane is being pummeled by high winds.
"Turbulence alone doesn't bring planes down," says NCAR expert Larry Cornman, "but it may trigger a chain of events that results in a tragedy."
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| © 2024 SPIE Europe |
|
