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In a previous post, I described how advanced-technology weather forecasts and flight hazard forecasts are helping flight planners, dispatchers, and trackers make more appropriate routing decisions for flight safety and efficiency. Here, I want to speak specifically to enhanced turbulence forecasting that helps them know where the rough spots are.
Not just the general rough spots, identified by traditional turbulence forecasts that are broad in nature and depict very large areas in distance and altitude.
Instead, I’m referring to enhanced turbulence forecasting that applies innovative and patented flight hazard forecast technology to improve turbulence definition. It identifies Mountain Wave, Boundary Layer, and Convective turbulence as well as Upper Level Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). And, it is based on Eddy Dissipation Rate (EDR) thresholds established by aircraft manufacturers, so it provides quantitative, not qualitative, forecasts that define the specific aircraft types at risk by the turbulence.
With this high-definition turbulence forecast, flight planners, dispatchers, and trackers can avoid having to interpret categorical or qualitative turbulence information. By integrating these web-based turbulence forecasts into flight planning and/or flight tracking systems, they can easily select the flight levels and forecast periods of interest to quickly identify turbulence threatening their flights.
This capability provides high value to all flight operations, allowing them to plan around regions of forecasted turbulence – airline and helicopter operations can better protect assets; airlines can improve passenger safety; and Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) can save fuel costs for their customers.
