Potential aviation constraints on Potential aviation constraints on offshore windoffshore wind
Malcolm Spaven
Spaven Consulting
Aviation constraintsAviation constraints
Radar
Military low flying
Instrument approach procedures
RadarRadar
Types of radar:
- air traffic control (primary/secondary)
- air defence
- trials
Radar (cont’d)Radar (cont’d)
Numbers of coastal radar sites:
- 9 en route ATC (mainly E Coast/Scotland)
- 10 military airfield ATC
- 22 civil airfield ATC
- 9 air defence (mainly E Coast)
- 4 main trials sites (mainly W Coast)
Radar (cont’d) Radar (cont’d)
Range - antenna at 50m AOD may see 100m turbines
70km away
Safeguarding consultation radii - NATS 30km
- other civil airports variable to 74km
- air defence 74km
- military airfields 67km
Radar (cont’d)Radar (cont’d)
Potential impacts on radar - shadow effect
- clutter
- multipath/reflection
Radar (cont’d)Radar (cont’d)
Mitigation of radar impacts - processing out turbine returns
- turbine/radar alignment
- overlapping radar coverage
- air traffic service limitation
- controller experience
Military low flyingMilitary low flying
Potential impacts - physical hazard to aircraft flying down to 100ft
- increased risk to aircraft flying at night/
in instrument conditions
Mitigation - charting
- lighting
Instrument approachesInstrument approaches
Two areas of impact - physical hazard to aircraft descending in cloud
- potential interference with ILS
Safeguarding policySafeguarding policy
Civil airports/radars - new policy - devolution from CAA to
airports/ATS providers
Military airfields/radars - evolving policy
- contrast between central policy and field
operational practice
Safeguarding policy (cont’d)Safeguarding policy (cont’d)
Air defence radar - post-Cold War contraction
- effects of September 11th
Military low flying - stated policy: little offshore impact
- growing contrast between stated policy and
site-specific decisions
The Way ForwardThe Way Forward
Early consultationConsult field operational personnelValue of existing operational
experience
Contact detailsSpaven Consulting
1 Meadowbank
Edinburgh EH8 8JE
Tel: 0131 661 1133
E-mail: [email protected]