Cobham develops RDSTrack wind farm mitigation solution
The Cobham RDSTrack technology solution provides a radar display free from interference and phantom aircraft reports to air traffic controllers and pilots from wind farm rotating blades reducing air traffic controllers and pilots additional work load to avoid these phantom reports.
Cobham Special Mission Vice President and General Manager, Mr Darren Moncrieff, said the advanced technology would assist new wind farm development approvals that have been previously prevented due planning restrictions because of the impact on aviation.
"The solution is a continuation of proven Cobham technology and will present a picture to air traffic controllers that is free from interference from wind farms and provide a safer environment for air traffic. The system has received approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority" Mr Moncrieff said.
The latest project is for the 19 turbine Frodsham Wind Farm project in Cheshire, which impacts on the Chester Hawarden and Liverpool John Lennon airports, where the new radars are being installed. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has been awarded the prime contract, with Cobham as a key provider into the overall solution. The system is expected to go into service in February 2016.
"We presented a novel way in which the requirements were visually demonstrated using real time simulations of aircraft flight over the wind farm. The challenges of this project included tight timescales and managing requirements for two different end users."