Potential aviation constraints on Potential aviation constraints on offshore windoffshore wind

Malcolm Spaven

Spaven Consulting

Aviation constraintsAviation constraints

Radar

Military low flying

Instrument approach procedures

RadarRadar

Types of radar:

- air traffic control (primary/secondary)

- air defence

- trials

Radar (cont’d)Radar (cont’d)

Numbers of coastal radar sites:

- 9 en route ATC (mainly E Coast/Scotland)

- 10 military airfield ATC

- 22 civil airfield ATC

- 9 air defence (mainly E Coast)

- 4 main trials sites (mainly W Coast)

Radar (cont’d) Radar (cont’d)

Range - antenna at 50m AOD may see 100m turbines

70km away

Safeguarding consultation radii - NATS 30km

- other civil airports variable to 74km

- air defence 74km

- military airfields 67km

Radar (cont’d)Radar (cont’d)

Potential impacts on radar - shadow effect

- clutter

- multipath/reflection

Radar (cont’d)Radar (cont’d)

Mitigation of radar impacts - processing out turbine returns

- turbine/radar alignment

- overlapping radar coverage

- air traffic service limitation

- controller experience

Military low flyingMilitary low flying

Potential impacts - physical hazard to aircraft flying down to 100ft

- increased risk to aircraft flying at night/

in instrument conditions

Mitigation - charting

- lighting

Instrument approachesInstrument approaches

Two areas of impact - physical hazard to aircraft descending in cloud

- potential interference with ILS

Safeguarding policySafeguarding policy

Civil airports/radars - new policy - devolution from CAA to

airports/ATS providers

Military airfields/radars - evolving policy

- contrast between central policy and field

operational practice

Safeguarding policy (cont’d)Safeguarding policy (cont’d)

Air defence radar - post-Cold War contraction

- effects of September 11th

Military low flying - stated policy: little offshore impact

- growing contrast between stated policy and

site-specific decisions

The Way ForwardThe Way Forward

Early consultationConsult field operational personnelValue of existing operational

experience

Contact detailsSpaven Consulting

1 Meadowbank

Edinburgh EH8 8JE

Tel: 0131 661 1133

E-mail: mail@spavenconsulting.co.uk