[Object] To provide a technique for reducing the fluctuation of an airplane when an airplane enters turbulence without using prior information of two-dimensional or more airflow vectors.

[Solving Means] A system includes: a measurement unit 10 that emits electromagnetic waves toward a planned flight direction of the airplane, receives scattered waves of the emitted electromagnetic waves in atmosphere, and measures a remote wind speed in a radiation axis direction of the emitted electromagnetic waves based on a Doppler shift amount of a frequency between the emitted electromagnetic waves and the scattered electromagnetic waves; a spoiler 221 that controls a lift of the airplane; and a control calculation unit 30 that calculates an angle of attack with less lift inclination and calculates an angle of the spoiler 221 that controls the lift so that the lift does not change when it is determined that the airplane will receive a gust, based on a measurement result of the measurement unit 10.

Systems and methods for enabling consistent smooth takeoffs and landings of vertical and/or short-runway takeoff and landing aircraft at sites with gusty conditions. The system includes a network of wind measurement stations deployed around the perimeter of a takeoff/landing site for spatio-temporally characterizing wind fluctuations (e.g., wind gusts) that enter a volume of airspace overlying the site, data processing means for deriving information about the fluctuations from the wind measurements, communication means for transmitting disturbance information to the aircraft, and a flight control system onboard the aircraft that is configured to use the disturbance information to control the aircraft in a manner that compensates for the fluctuations. The wind measurement units may include laser Doppler anemometers, sound detection and ranging systems or other devices capable of simultaneous spatially and temporally resolved wind measurements.

A method for determining convective cell growth from weather radar reflectivity data includes receiving first weather reflectivity values and receiving second weather reflectivity values at a point in time subsequent to receiving the first weather reflectivity values, storing the first and second weather reflectivity values in cells of a three-dimensional buffer, for each of the first and second weather reflectivity values, calculating a vertically-integrated reflectivity (VIR) value for a column of cells in the three-dimensional buffer, the column of cells being associated with a latitude/longitude position, and comparing the VIR value for the second weather reflectivity values against the VIR for the first weather reflectivity values to determine a difference in the VIR values. Furthermore, the method includes displaying a cell growth hazard indication at a weather display in an area of the weather display that corresponds to the latitude/longitude position.

An example real-time ad hoc network sensor system includes a plurality of sensors positioned at fixed locations on an aircraft, a plurality of mobile devices in an interior of the aircraft, and a computing device having one or more processors and a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform functions including receiving outputs from the plurality of sensors and from the sensors of the plurality of mobile devices during the flight of the aircraft, mapping the outputs to a computer model of the aircraft for association with locations in the interior of the aircraft, and based on the mapping, creating a vehicle data-signature-map of the interior of the aircraft for at least one parameter of the aircraft.

A vehicle disturbance and isolation detection system is provided. The system includes at least one measurement sensor that is configured to generate measurement signals, at least one filter that is used to sort disturbance causes in the measured signals by frequencies, at least one controller that is used to compare the sorted signal to at least one threshold to determine if an event has occurred, a memory to store at least operating instructions for the at least one controller, a controller that is in communication with the memory and a communication system that is in communication with the at least one controller. The communication system is configured to transmit determined events to a remote location.

A weather forecasting system may receive satellite image samples and identify an updraft and components of the updraft within a cloud. These satellite image samples are collected over time (e.g., at 30 second to 1 minute time intervals). The system may identify an area of rotation and/or divergence at cloud top in a cumulus cloud or mature convective storm over time by comparing the samples and determine a parameter indicative of the updraft based on the area of rotation and divergence. The system may estimate aspects of the environment related to storm development and predict the occurrence of a weather event in the future based on the parameter and generate an output indicative of the occurrence.

A wind prediction system is provided that can be implemented in an air-traffic decision tool or a wind turbine system. An air-traffic decision tool may incorporate a wind prediction system to generate prevailing wind direction predictions and determine a time at which to re-configure runway directions. A wind turbine system may incorporate a wind prediction system to predict power output of a wind turbine.

A method of providing a simplified practice for dealing with aviation turbulence and other weather hazards that allows the end users to better communicate turbulence as a state of the atmosphere metric and the additional weather threats affecting the flight is described. The method provides an Atmospheric State Index (ASI) that allows all the users to work with a standardized metric that describes the turbulence as the state of the atmosphere and a similar scale for other weather risks to the flight. This system makes the correlation between the forecast and aircraft reports for turbulence easier to interpret for the end users. This approach concentrates on turbulence as a weather hazard with a more objective and easier to use metric. This configuration provides a transition for moving from a system based on turbulence Pilot Reports (PIREPS) to a more objective data driven process in the air traffic environment.

Systems, devices, and methods for improving LIDAR-based turbulence intensity (TI) estimates are described. An example system may include a LIDAR instrument configured to determine, based on reflections of emitted light, a plurality of wind speed values. The system also includes a physics-based error correction module configured to determine, based on the wind speed values, at least one LIDAR-based meteorological characteristic value, and determine, based on the LIDAR-based meteorological characteristic value and at least one physical characteristic of the LIDAR instrument, at least one modified meteorological characteristic value. The system further includes a statistical error correction module configured to determine, based on the modified meteorological characteristic value and a meteorological characteristic error model generated using collocated LIDAR-based meteorological characteristic values and in situ instrument-based meteorological characteristic values, at least one corrected TI estimate, and output the corrected TI estimate.

A system for an aircraft includes a user interface device and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a present location of the aircraft, a present location of one or more wind vortices, a strength of the one or more wind vortices, and a desired ending point of the aircraft. The desired ending point of the aircraft is received from the user interface device. The controller is configured to define an optimization problem, and determine a solution to the optimization problem. The solution to the optimization problem includes a flight path and steering angle values to achieve the flight path. The flight path results in a minimum time to reach the desired ending point. The controller is configured to cause the user interface device to display a map including the flight path.