Image to right: A partial set of documentation collected by the Concepts of
Operation Evaluation Team for Wake Vortex Avoidance.
Wake turbulence is a major contributing factor to increased terminal
delays and reduced terminal capacity. Aircraft must operate according to
specific guidelines in order to avoid this turbulence, which reduces the
number of aircraft that can operate within a specific time period. NASA
embarked on a comprehensive data collection project to support proposed
operational changes in the Wake Vortex Avoidance guidelines. Defining a
new acceptable level of wake vortex encounter would positively impact
air transportation capacity. Multi-volume results from the data
collection efforts were vetted to the wake experts community and then
released to the public in June 2005.
