Firm Granted Wind Shear Detection Patent

Air Safety Week, March 7, 2005

An Australian company's new airborne wind shear detection system could save lives. Swan International, based in Sydney, has recently been granted a U.S. patent for its Airborne Wind Shear Detection System. The patent relates to a system for aircraft on-board detection and alerting of dangerous atmospheric conditions including wind shears, which may occur during the landing and takeoff phase.

The unique Australian-developed technology is designed for use in fixedwing, general aviation, business, regional and transport type aircraft. Swan says the system will offer improved operational capability in adverse conditions by detecting wind shear in aircraft not supported by current radar-based technologies.

Wind shears result from rapidly changing wind conditions. On approach to landing, a performance-increasing headwind may be replaced by a performance decreasing tailwind. The Wind Shear Detector directs a laser beam in front of the aircraft, receives a backscatter response and detects changes in wind speeds to give a wind shear warning to the pilot.

Swan says it will conduct ongoing ground and airborne testing of the wind shear detection system from its newly established facility at Bankstown Airport in Sydney. For more details, visit: www.swaninter.com

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