Arctic fjords, Mediterranean winds and what’s new in aviation weather

Vaisala solutions are everywhere in aviation. (If you include aerospace, our technology is also on Mars aboard the Perseverance rover.) Here are some up-to-date case studies and resources showing what Vaisala has been up to in aviation weather.

We just can't get enough of these fascinating (and important!) projects.

Runway placement in Norway’s Lofoten Islands

Full case study here

The Lofoten Islands in Norway are known for daunting, mountainous geography that creates turbulence and difficult wind conditions for aircraft. The region needed a new airport, and four possible sites stood out.But earlier work using meteorological models and met masts had been inconclusive.

Project leaders needed a better way to see into the sky and make a clear, data-driven decision. This decision had clear safety implications, but weather-related airport shutdowns are also disruptive and costly, so an optimized location means potentially dramatic cost savings and improved service.

For this project, Kjeller Vindteknikk used four Vaisala WindCube Scan lidar units, one at each proposed airport location. In each case, the lidar was aimed into the aircraft approach path to model the wind characteristics pilots would routinely face.

The lidar data was the missing piece of the puzzle that compensated for the imprecision in wind models, and the campaign dramatically reduced uncertainty, accelerated the project where other wind assessment attempts had left it stalled, and made a data-driven decision possible for a crucial airport project.

The mountain and the sea: Achieving full wind awareness at Palermo Airport

Full case study here

The Punta Raisi Palermo Airport in Italy is located next to a dramatic mountain on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, making it vulnerable to sudden wind shear phenomena. Vaisala provided a comprehensive aviation weather system in response to a public tender issued by the Italian air navigation service provider ENAV, with which Vaisala has a customer relationship dating back to 1990s.

The solution included Vaisala AviMet® Windshear Alert System, which integrated windshear data from LLWAS, WindCube Scan, and X-band weather radar systems.

Now, the airport has a single, integrated, real-time weather system using a variety of sensors that account for a wide range of weather scenarios. Airport safety and operational continuity are protected, and airport personnel have the confidence of data-driven decision-making.

Learn more about Vaisala and aviation weather

Vaisala brings 80+ years of experience and an unrivalled global service network to every aviation client we assist. Learn more about why we are the industry’s trusted, one-stop shop.