Acoustic Backscatter Radar System for TrackingAircraft Trailing Vortices

The safety hazard posed by potential encounters with invisible vortices from preceding aircraft imposes stringent limitations on aircraft spacing in the terminal area, hence on traffic-handling capacity. An acoustic backscatter radar system has been developed to detect and track such vortices, and thereby to provide the information for more advanced air traffic procedures that would eliminate the uncertainty and delay caused by vortices. The system is fully engineered and operates in real time. Examples of the real-time display and of vortex tracks from Boeing 747's landing at the Los Angeles International Airport are given in the paper.