Atmospheric Turbulence Visualization for Aviation Safety Using 3D Immersive VR System

Abstract

Atmospheric turbulence is an important issue for both the operational efficiency and safety of aircraft. In particular, turbulence around airports makes it difficult to maintain regularity in landing and return operations and affects safety and comfort during takeoff and landing.

Computational fluid dynamics is necessary to understand the spatio-temporal characteristics of turbulence in detail. The visualization expected by researchers is different from that expected by pilots and flight operators in terms of making use of it for operational decisions. This paper presents a visualization of turbulent airflow around an airport using a 3D immersive VR visualization system to help pilots and flight operators understand the extent of turbulence. We introduce the visualization results of terrain-induced turbulence at Shonai Airport and hangar wake on the runway at Haneda Airport.