Full-flight simulator study for wake vortex hazard area investigation

Simplified hazard areas (SHA) can help to overcome the wake vortex problem. Avoiding these zones allows safe and undisturbed flight operations. The definition of the hazard areas is based on the nominal required roll control power. The nominal limit for this value must be chosen carefully to ensure that outside the hazard area all wake vortex effects are noncritical. For the determination of such a limit offline simulations and full flight simulator studies were conducted. For a given roll control limit the hazard area dimensions are established with the “simplified hazard area prediction” method (SHAPe). Parameterization of the input parameters makes this method universally applicable to different aircraft types. SHAPe represents an essential element of the wake vortex prediction and observation system within the DLR project Wirbelschleppe II, for the generation of safe dynamic wake vortex separations.