The Wake Vortex Prediction and Monitoring System WSVBS Part II: Performance and ATC Integration at Frankfurt Airport

Abstract

The performance and the ATC test integration of DLR’s wake vortex advisory system, WSVBS, for the dependent parallel runways 25L and 25R at Frankfurt Airport are described. WSVBS has components to forecast and monitor the local weather and to predict and monitor wake transport and decay along the glide paths. Integration with the DLR’s arrival manager AMAN has also been demonstrated. Every 10 minutes the WSVBS delivers minimum safe aircraft separation times for the next hour, which are translated into operational modes for runways 25L/R aiming at tactically improving capacity to reduce delays. During a performance test described herein the system was stable and the predicted minimum separation times were confirmed by measurements. Capacity-improving wake-vortex separation concepts of operation could have been used in 75% of the time and continuously applied for at least several tens of minutes. From fast-time simulations the (strategic) capacity gain for Frankfurt was estimated to be 3%, taking into account the real traffic mix and operational constraints.