A Preliminary Study of a Wake Vortex Encounter Hazard Boundary for a B737-100 Airplane

Book excerpt: A preliminary batch simulation study was conducted to define the wake decay required for a Boeing 737-100 airplane to safely encounter a Boeing 727 wake and land. The baseline six-degree-of-freedom B737 simulation was modified to include a wake model and the strip-theory calculation of the vortex-induced forces and moments. The guidance and control inputs for the airplane were provided by an autoland system. The wake strength and encounter altitude were varied to establish a safe encounter boundary. The wake was positioned such that the desired flight path traversed the core of the port Vortex. Various safe landing criteria were evaluated for defining a safe encounter boundary. A sensitivity study was also conducted to assess the effects of encounter model inaccuracies. Reimer, Heidi M. and Vicroy, Dan D. Langley Research Center NASA-TM-110223, NAS 1.15:110223 RTOP 505-64-13-02...