Analysis of Low Altitude Wind Profile Data from Wind Lidar for Drone Aviation Safety

Abstract

According to the Unmanned aircraft system Traffic Management (UTM), drones are permitted to fly up to 150m above ground, which is located in the atmospheric boundary layer where there is considerable wind fluctuation due to turbulence. Although it is difficult to predict when turbulence will occur drone aviation safety could be enhanced by having a better understanding of the characteristics of vertical profile of wind in the flight area. We used wind lidar (WIndMast 350M) to observe vertical profiles of wind at the test site for aviation meteorological observation equipment located near Incheon International Airport in July and September, 2022. In this study, we utilized the observed wind profile data to propose a technique for obtaining information that could help improve the drone aviation safety. The Fourier transform analysis is used to evaluate the temporal characteristics of the horizontal wind speed at various vertical levels up to 350m. We also examined the relative contribution of the variance of wind having scales of less than an hour, a crucial scale for drone flight, to the variance of wind having all scales at each vertical altitude for days with and without precipitation