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Potential aviation constraints on offshore wind. Malcolm Spaven Spaven Consulting. Aviation constraints. Radar Military low flying Instrument approach procedures. Radar. Types of radar: - air traffic control (primary/secondary) - air defence - trials. Radar (cont’d).
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Potential aviation constraints on offshore wind Malcolm Spaven Spaven Consulting
Aviation constraints • Radar • Military low flying • Instrument approach procedures
Radar • Types of radar: - air traffic control (primary/secondary) - air defence - trials
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) • 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) • Potential impacts on radar - shadow effect - clutter - multipath/reflection
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 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 approaches • Two areas of impact - physical hazard to aircraft descending in cloud - potential interference with ILS
Safeguarding 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) • 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 Forward • Early consultation • Consult field operational personnel • Value of existing operational experience Contact details Spaven Consulting 1 Meadowbank Edinburgh EH8 8JE Tel: 0131 661 1133 E-mail: mail@spavenconsulting.co.uk