A new instrument at Schiphol is set to measure the wind much more accurately and spatially. This can improve the safety of air traffic. Together with Air Traffic Control Netherlands, the KNMI has determined the locations where testing will take place in the coming years. Measurements began in February at the Buitenveldertbaan. Only a few airports in the world have access to such an instrument.
The instrument is a so-called Skiron3D Doppler wind lidar (image 1), and can measure wind accurately up to 16 kilometers away using a laser. This can improve the local wind forecast at Schiphol and determine the wind in the approach routes more accurately.
New Possibilities
The measurements will be used in the future to warn of dangerous wind situations for aircraft.
The measurements will be used in the future to warn of dangerous wind situations for aircraft. For instance, the presence of wind shear (a very local sudden change in the wind) can be recognized by meteorologists and communicated to pilots and air traffic control.
In addition to measuring wind at height (image 2), the instrument can also measure high crosswind speeds during landing. Image 3 shows an example with variable crosswind measured on the Zwanenburgbaan. With this information, a pilot can be prepared or the air traffic controller can assign a runway with less crosswind.
The instrument is also used to improve current wind measurements by looking into the causes of turbulence. These are all new possibilities that are not possible with the current wind measurements at the airport.