Inventors:
David A. Johnson - Phoenix AZ
Terry L. Zweifel - Phoenix AZ
Assignee:
Honeywell Inc. - Minneapolis MN
International Classification:
G08B 2300
Abstract:
The invention provides for rapid response and reliable detection of vertical windshear during the takeoff and approach phases of flight. Standard instrumentation available on many aircraft is used to calculate the down-draft acceleration and its effect on the aircraft's performance capability. The invention utilizes inputs from vertical acceleration, true airspeed, pitch angle, and angle of attack sensors. The rate of change of vertical wind is derived from the sensed signals and used to determine the margin between the aircraft's present performance capability and the predicted performance capability at stick shaker speed. By incrementing a timer when the down-draft acceleration is above a predetermined level, and comparing this time to the predicted time for the aircraft to decelerate to stick shaker speed based on the present windshear acceleration, a variable threshold of detection is obtained, which provides a more immediate detection of windshear than where a fixed threshold of detection is provided, with fewer incidences of false alarms.