Sep05 Fahey

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Aviation Meteorology

A Northwest Airlines Perspective

Tom Fahey, Manager MeteorologyAmerican Meteorological Society - Memphis Chapter

20 September 2005

Memphis, TN

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MEM September 2005 - 2

Northwest Airlines Perspective

• General Introduction to NWA

• NWA System Operations Control

• NWA Meteorology Roles and Products

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Northwest & KLM Alliance 1990’s

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2004

NWA - Member of SkyTeam

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The SOC

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NWA

System Operations Control

SOC •Crew Coord.

•Customer Svc

•Flight Dispatch

•Load Control

•Maintenance

•Meteorology

•Navigation Data

•Ops Planning

•Ops Analysis

•Perf Engineering

Implement, Mitigate &/or Recover

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SOC - Responsibilities Focus on “Day of Operation”

2 Main Causes of Flight Schedule Disruptions

• Maintenance

• Weather

SOC will take action based on 12hr Fcst - Not a 2 day Fcst

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NWA Meteorology Roles

•Support Efficiency

•Support Safety

•Deliver Useful Products & Services

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NWA Meteorology Roles

A Historical Perspective

• 1985 Route Selection & Wind Fcsting

• 1990 Terminal Forecasting & Verification• 1995 Fcsts Supporting Stn Deicing

• 2000 En Route Tstrms & Air Traffic Mgmnt

• 2000 Tropical Strm Fcst Supporting Stn Ops

• 1985-2005 Fcsts For Turbc Avoidance

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Operational Efficiency

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Operational Efficiency NWA Historical Perspective

• 1980’s Flight Planning for En Route

- Manual Wind Forecasts by Meteorologist

- Route Selection by Meteorologist

• 1990’s Terminal Area Operations

- Individual Flight Focus

- Currently 3 TAF’s by NWA & Rest from NWS

• Mid 1990 - Current System Efficiency

- CDM (Collaborative Decision Making)

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CCFP (Collaborative Convective Forecast Product)

•1998 Test Lead by NWA•1999 Operational @NWS AWC

• Since 2003 Issued every 2 hrs

• 2, 4, & 6 Hour Fcsts• Used by Traffic Flow Mngmnt

• Collaborative Forecast- CWSU’s @ FAA ARTCC’s

- Environment Canada - Airline Meteorologists

- NWS AWC

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CCFP

CCFP Purpose:Identify En RouteAirspace Impacted

Significantly.

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Collaborative Decision Making Tstrm Routing - Terminal Area

Flt Dispatchers & Pilots @ an Airline and AirTraffic Managers @ FAA & Airline use Fcsts &Obs to decide on routes around tstrms when

departing an airport.

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Safety &

Efficiency

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NWA Meteorology Products

• Fcsts Supporting Safety & Efficiency- Air Traffic Management During Convection

- Station Ops During Deicing

- Station Ops During Tropical Activity

- Clear Air &Terrain Induced Turbc Avoidance

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Preflight Routing-Tstrm Avoid

• Preferred Route for time & burn.

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Preflight Routing-Tstrm Avoid

• White Line most days. Green Line today.

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Station Ops During Deicing

NamethisAirport:

AMS ?DTW ?IND ?MEM ?

MKE ?MSP ?NRT ?

Meteorology Fcsts for 5 NWA hub airports - Which Ones?

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Aviation Safety Requires Deicing

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What Station?

Deicing Fcsts Support Efficiency

• Decision Support

- Staffing

- Equipment Prep- Flight Thinning

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Winter Weather Depiction

Covers 5 Hub areas & E. Coast stns

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Tropical Weather Depiction

Also Issued for East Pacific (btwn Mexico & HNL), Asia Pacific & India

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Clear & Mtn Wave Turbulence Avoidance

• NWA’s Turbulence Plot System

- Meteorologist Forecasting Procedures

- Preflight Graphics & Outlooks

- For Route Selection by Dispatchers

- En Route Updates to Dispatchers & Pilots

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1. 700mb wind >30kts - wave develops2. Wave begins to propagate vertically if500mb/700mb wind ratio 1.5-2.0 &Stable layer at or near Mtn peaks

3. Heights begin packing near surface4. Upper level waves reach tropopause &

begin to break and reflect back down5. Downslope windstorm ensues.

700mb

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Vertical Propagating Breaking Waves

.

Waves:

Step 1Starts @Mt Peaks

Step 2 & 3 Develops Vertically

M W F P d M d l

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SevereRotor turb

Vertically propagating

Breaking mountain wave

Turbulence (+)

Mountain top

Stable layer

2 Layers of

Focus

Mtn Wave Fcst Procedures Model

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Preflight Graphics A General Overview

CAT & Mtn Waves

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The Turbulence Plot Messages

• The Details- Continuous

Updates

• PreflightGraphics- For Pilot &

Dispatcher

• En RouteUpdates- For Dispatcher

& Text for Pilot

• 8 Hazards Including Including Clear & Mtn Wave Turbc

Dispatchers’ Tool

ASD

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The Turbulence Plot Messages

Pilots’ Tool

Web Wx

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Conclusion

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Safety & Efficiency

• Driven by Conditions at Airport & TAF

- TAF Ceiling & Visibility: Require Fuel for an Alternate

- Airport Congestion: Snow, Tstrms or Wind Velocity

• Driven by Conditions En Route-Air Traffic Mngmt & Congestion During Convection

-Clear Air &Terrain Induced Turbce Avoidance

-Convection Hazard Avoidance

Fuel Loading Decisions

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Questions?

Sep05 Fahey

Documents

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