Aviation Meteorology A Northwest Airlines Perspective Tom Fahey, Manager Meteorology American Meteorological Society - Memphis Chapter 20 September 2005.

Aviation MeteorologyA Northwest Airlines

Perspective

Tom Fahey, Manager MeteorologyAmerican Meteorological Society - Memphis Chapter

20 September 2005Memphis, TN

MEM September 2005 - 2

Northwest Airlines Perspective

• General Introduction to NWA

• NWA System Operations Control

• NWA Meteorology Roles and Products

MEM September 2005 - 3

Northwest & KLM Alliance 1990’s

MEM September 2005 - 4

2004NWA - Member of SkyTeam

The SOC

MEM September 2005 - 6

NWASystem Operations Control

SOCSOC•Crew Coord.

•Customer Svc

•Flight Dispatch

•Load Control

•Maintenance

•Meteorology

•Navigation Data

•Ops Planning

•Ops Analysis

•Perf Engineering

Implement, Mitigate &/or Recover

MEM September 2005 - 7

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

MEM September 2005 - 8

NWA Meteorology Roles

•Support Efficiency

•Support Safety

•Deliver Useful Products & Services

MEM September 2005 - 9

NWA Meteorology RolesA 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

Operational Efficiency

MEM September 2005 - 11

Operational EfficiencyNWA 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)

MEM September 2005 - 12

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

MEM September 2005 - 13

CCFP

CCFP Purpose:Identify En Route Airspace Impacted

Significantly.

MEM September 2005 - 14

Collaborative Decision MakingTstrm Routing - Terminal Area

Flt Dispatchers & Pilots @ an Airline and Air Traffic Managers @ FAA & Airline use Fcsts & Obs to decide on routes around tstrms when departing an airport.

Safety&

Efficiency

MEM September 2005 - 16

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

MEM September 2005 - 17

Preflight Routing-Tstrm Avoid

• Preferred Route for time & burn.

MEM September 2005 - 18

Preflight Routing-Tstrm Avoid

• White Line most days. Green Line today.

MEM September 2005 - 19

Station Ops During Deicing

Name this Airport:AMS ?DTW ?IND ?MEM ?MKE ?MSP ?NRT ?

Meteorology Fcsts for 5 NWA hub airports - Which Ones?

MEM September 2005 - 20

Aviation Safety Requires Deicing

MEM September 2005 - 21

What Station?

Deicing Fcsts Support Efficiency

• Decision Support- Staffing- Equipment Prep- Flight Thinning

MEM September 2005 - 22

Winter Weather Depiction

Covers 5 Hub areas & E. Coast stns

MEM September 2005 - 23

Tropical Weather Depiction

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

MEM September 2005 - 24

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

MEM September 2005 - 25

1. 700mb wind >30kts - wave develops2. Wave begins to propagate vertically if 500mb/700mb wind ratio 1.5-2.0 & Stable layer at or near Mtn peaks3. 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

MEM September 2005 - 26

SevereRotor turb

Vertically propagatingBreaking mountain wave

Turbulence (+)

Mountain topStable layer

2 Layers ofFocus

Mtn Wave Fcst Procedures Model

MEM September 2005 - 27

Preflight GraphicsA General Overview

CAT & Mtn Waves

MEM September 2005 - 28

The Turbulence Plot Messages

• The Details- Continuous

Updates

• Preflight Graphics- For Pilot &

Dispatcher

• En Route Updates- For Dispatcher

& Text for Pilot

• 8 Hazards Including Including Clear & Mtn Wave Turbc

Dispatchers’ ToolASD

MEM September 2005 - 29

The Turbulence Plot MessagesPilots’ Tool

Web Wx

Conclusion

MEM September 2005 - 31

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

Questions?