The system is currently still in the test phase, and
Nikolaus Schmitt estimates that it might be ready for
series production in about ten years’ time. The LIDAR
was successfully tested in flight on an Airbus A340. The
researchers are now looking into the possibility of
miniaturizing the sensors and integrating them in the
flight control system. Aircraft builders from Europe as
well as the United States are interested in such
technology. However, it is open to conjecture who will
be the first to deploy the system.
In
future the system might not only be used to measure air
pockets, but also wake vortices (turbulences caused by
aircraft). Thus, LIDAR could help to gauge the position
and distance of planes from the wake vortices of
aircraft taking off ahead of them. Aircraft typically
maintain a prescribed distance from one another in order
to avoid encountering the wake vortex produced by the
aircraft in front. However, these distances are not
based on real-time measurements and presently can vary
from one airworthiness authority’s jurisdiction to
another. Like air pockets, vortices are invisible.
LIDAR technology would make it possible to discern how
far the vortices actually extend. This could enable the
required safety spacing between take-offs and landings
to be accurately determined in real time based on a
common global standard.
Furthermore, at some airports this could allow the
distances to be safely reduced, thus enabling an
increase in air traffic frequency. The researchers at
EADS Innovation Works are currently examining how the
light pulses must be aligned in order to yield a full
picture of the position of a wake vortex.
LIDAR technology could also be used to measure key
data such as speed, temperature or air pressure and
density during flight. Today these parameters are
determined by various mechanical methods. Optical
data acquisition would provide an additional
measuring technique, providing greater safety
through additional systems redundancy. Moreover,
particles in the air, such as volcanic ash, could be
identified and their concentration determined,
enabling safe operation in low ash concentration
areas in case of volcanic explosions.
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