WAKENET3-EUROPE · European Coordination Action for Aircraft Wake Turbulence

The Coordination Action WakeNet3-Europe will promote multidisciplinary exchange between research and operational specialists in the field of wake vortex turbulence. It will enable to develop a shared view on how to address capacity-related issues caused by wake turbulence. It continues the Thematic Networks WakeNet and WakeNet2-Europe. Safe separations prescribed to avoid potential hazards by encounters with a preceding aircraft’s wake are a main limiting factor for airport capacity. Increasing airport congestion and the introduction of very large aircraft initiated extensive investigations, involving researchers, aircraft and equipment manufacturers and operational users (airports, pilots, ATC). Two main questions are still open: · if the separations by MTOW can be replaced by a more physically based rulemaking, · if separations can be dynamically reduced with on-ground or on-board advisory and detection systems to increase airport capacity, both with constant or even increasing safety level. In the last decade activities have progressed from physical understanding to development of operational concepts and rulemaking. Several EU-funded and other projects are ongoing or starting in this field. For successful concept implementation, acceptance by operational users is mandatory. This requires continuous dialogue between scientists and users. Like previous Networks, WakeNet3-Europe will be the forum for this dialogue, building a bridge between wake vortex research and operations, in order to get scientifically funded agreement among stakeholders to support implementation, and to help making new technologies (e. g. advisory systems) usable for wake vortex purposes. WakeNet3-Europe will provide annual workshops open to the whole Wake Vortex community, establish focused Task Groups and links to existing local stakeholder groups, professional groups, other projects and to US and other non-EU activities. Recommendations for future research and implementation