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High-resolution three-dimensional data from sensors such as LiDAR are sufficient to find power line towers and poles but do not reliably map relatively thin power lines. In addition, repeated detections of the same object can lead to confusion while data gaps ignore known obstacles. The slow or failed detection of low-salience vertical obstacles and associated wires is one of today's leading causes of fatal helicopter accidents. This article presents a method to efficiently correlate vertical structure observations with existing databases and infer the presence of power lines. The method uses a spatial hash key which compares an observed tower location to potential existing tower locations using nested hash tables. When an observed tower is in the vicinity of an existing entry, the method correlates or distinguishes objects based on height and position. When applied to Delaware's Digital Obstacle File, the average horizontal uncertainty decreased from 206 to 56 ft. The power line presence is inferred by automatically comparing the proportional spacing, height, and angle of tower sets based on the more accurate database. Over 87% of electrical transmission towers were correctly identified with no false negatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of assimilating satellite observations in quantitative ensemble forecasting models of airborne volcanic ash is presented in this study. The method employs many trial dispersion model simulations that are generated by both deterministic and random perturbations of the source term and use of an ensemble of numerical weather prediction model fields. An ensemble filter is then applied to the trial simulations, which are either selected or rejected by the filter based on their degree of agreement with observations within a specified time window. The observations may be in the form of quantitative satellite retrieved mass load fields or qualitative ash detection fields, which means that useful results can be obtained even when retrievals are not available in real time provided that the ash boundaries can be identified. The filtering process is repeated several times with different random realizations of the source term to reduce sampling error and minimize filter degeneracy, a phenomenon that plagues all ensemble filter models. The selected members are then propagated forward in time beyond the observational time window to form the forecast ensemble. We show, using several eruption case studies, that forecast ensembles constructed in this way are generally superior in skill to reference forecasts that do not assimilate observations. Plain Language Summary: Airborne volcanic ash is a potentially catastrophic hazard to flying aircraft. Therefore, aircraft must be diverted around ash plumes or grounded, affecting the public at large and causing significant economic impacts to the aviation sector. Improved ash forecasting models that provide quantitative information about the amounts of ash within an ash cloud and the associated uncertainties are therefore in great demand by the aviation industry. The amounts of ash within ash clouds may be estimated by a new generation of satellite‐based algorithms. A new method of assimilating these satellite‐derived data, both from past eruptions and in real‐time, into quantitative volcanic ash forecast models is presented in this study. The method is computationally efficient and applicable to a wide range of operational contexts, including situations where only the ash cloud boundaries are known. It is shown that the method leads to improved forecasts in several eruption case studies. Key Points: Assimilation of satellite data by ensemble filtering improves forecasts of volcanic ashFilter degeneracy may be overcome by carrying out the ensemble filtering in batchesForecast skill is improved even when satellite data is not available in real time by training the system with past eruption case studies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated sonification and tactification for encoding urgency of system health status presented in the ground control station (GCS) visual interface of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), and the observer's perception of urgency. Background: The barrage of data in the GCS visual interface has the potential to isolate the operator from detecting system hazards that threatens the ability of the operator to operate the UAS effectively. Method: The pitch of the UAS's engine revolutions per minute was mapped to a sonification, and excessive attitude upset of the UAS was mapped to a tactification in order to present a continuous awareness of the system's health without being invasive and obtrusive. Participants with and without flying experience were required to monitor system health, while carrying out a secondary task. Results: Regardless of flying experience, sonification enhanced hazard detection compared to a visual-only GCS interface, but tactification did not aid performance. Conclusion: While multimodal displays have been studied in remotely piloted vehicles, this is the initial effort to demonstrate that sonification can influence perceived urgency leading to greater warning compliance. Further research is warranted to develop guidelines to ensure that non-visual signals can convey different levels of urgency for a continuous awareness of a system's health, and thereby permit the operator to establish the appropriate level of priority to address the alarmed condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With a rapid increase in air traffic, aviation has become an increasingly important contributor to anthropogenic air pollutants (particularly nitrogen oxides (NO X)) over China. This study provides the first overall estimation of the aviation emissions from all civil airports in mainland China as well as the associated contribution to ambient air quality. First, aircraft emissions (NOx, sulfur dioxide (SO 2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydro-carbons (HC), particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10), volatile organic carbons (VOCs) and black carbon (BC)) during landing and take-off cycles (below 3 km) are estimated for both recent (2000–2016) and future (2020) scenarios. Second, the corresponding environmental impacts are measured by the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx). The results have insightful policy implications for China's aviation planning. (1) Generally, China's aviation emissions and their effect on air quality have been and will continue to increase. (2) Among species, NOx dominated China's aircraft emissions in terms of both emission amount and environmental impact, while PM 2.5 generated an extensive influence. (3) With respect to spatial distribution, the air quality effect was highly concentrated at emission-intense airports that served economic zones and/or tourist spots. Highlights • China's aviation emissions are estimated for 2000–2016 and 2020 scenarios. • The corresponding environmental contribution is calculated via the CAMx model. • Aviation emissions and environmental impact both followed an upward trend. • The airports serving economic zones and/or tourist spots made a high contribution. • Aviation emissions impacted NOx to a large extent and PM 2.5 in a broad domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tracked a breeding adult female lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina) from Germany using GPS technology, and provide details of her collision with a small aircraft at Rzeszów (SE Poland) during April 201 6, when she was migrating towards her breeding territory. The ultimate fate of the bird was not established until the tag was found by chance and the data were recovered. Bird strikes are a global problem with sometimes lethal consequences for animals and people. This account highlights the way technology allows us to closely monitor events during bird migration, and document human-raptor interactions. The collision illustrates how food availability might affect bird-strike risk, and indicates that removing animal carcasses from the vicinity of airports could reduce that risk. We discuss the data in relation to risks faced by lesser spotted eagles (and other soaring birds) of collision with aircraft, especially along flyways during migration seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air traffic controllers guiding planes, insurance adjusters validating claims, meteorologists forecasting weather, and more want to know where lightning strikes. Modern location systems provide them with the information they need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Currently, published risk analyses for drones refer mainly to commercial systems, use data from civil aviation, and are based on probabilistic approaches without suggesting an inclusive list of hazards and respective requirements. Within this context, this article presents: (1) a set of safety requirements generated from the application of the systems theoretic process analysis (STPA) technique on a generic small drone system; (2) a gap analysis between the set of safety requirements and the ones met by 19 popular drone models; (3) the extent of the differences between those models, their manufacturers, and the countries of origin; and (4) the association of drone prices with the extent they meet the requirements derived by STPA. The application of STPA resulted in 70 safety requirements distributed across the authority, manufacturer, end user, or drone automation levels. A gap analysis showed high dissimilarities regarding the extent to which the 19 drones meet the same safety requirements. Statistical results suggested a positive correlation between drone prices and the extent that the 19 drones studied herein met the safety requirements generated by STPA, and significant differences were identified among the manufacturers. This work complements the existing risk assessment frameworks for small drones, and contributes to the establishment of a commonly endorsed international risk analysis framework. Such a framework will support the development of a holistic and methodologically justified standardization scheme for small drone flights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the fall of 2004, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) has been providing global monitoring of volcanic SO2 emissions, helping to understand their climate impacts and to mitigate aviation hazards. Here we introduce a new-generation OMI volcanic SO2 dataset based on a principal component analysis (PCA) retrieval technique. To reduce retrieval noise and artifacts as seen in the current operational linear fit (LF) algorithm, the new algorithm, OMSO2VOLCANO, uses characteristic features extracted directly from OMI radiances in the spectral fitting, thereby helping to minimize interferences from various geophysical processes (e.g., O3 absorption) and measurement details (e.g., wavelength shift). To solve the problem of low bias for large SO2 total columns in the LF product, the OMSO2VOLCANO algorithm employs a table lookup approach to estimate SO2 Jacobians (i.e., the instrument sensitivity to a perturbation in the SO2 column amount) and iteratively adjusts the spectral fitting window to exclude shorter wavelengths where the SO2 absorption signals are saturated. To first order, the effects of clouds and aerosols are accounted for using a simple Lambertian equivalent reflectivity approach. As with the LF algorithm, OMSO2VOLCANO provides total column retrievals based on a set of predefined SO2 profiles from the lower troposphere to the lower stratosphere, including a new profile peaked at 13 km for plumes in the upper troposphere. Examples given in this study indicate that the new dataset shows significant improvement over the LF product, with at least 50% reduction in retrieval noise over the remote Pacific. For large eruptions such as Kasatochi in 2008 (~1700 kt total SO2/ and Sierra Negra in 2005 (> 1100DU maximum SO2/, OMSO2VOLCANO generally agrees well with other algorithms that also utilize the full spectral content of satellite measurements, while the LF algorithm tends to underestimate SO2. We also demonstrate that, despite the coarser spatial and spectral resolution of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument, application of the new PCA algorithm to OMPS data produces highly consistent retrievals between OMI and OMPS. The new PCA algorithm is therefore capable of continuing the volcanic SO2 data record well into the future using current and future hyperspectral UV satellite instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objectives were to evaluate the viability of 3-dimensional (3D) perspective aircraft hazard displays for traffic and weather, in isolation, and when the two were integrated into a single display panel. Background: Prior research identified the costs of such 3D perspective hazard displays, presented from an exocentric perspective, because of their ambiguity in presenting spatial relations in an unstructured 3D space. Research also supported the advantage of display overlay, particularly when both databases (traffic and weather) need to be integrated to make hazard avoidance judgments. The two variables had not been examined in conjunction. Method: Seventeen certified flight instructors flew a series of hazard avoidance maneuvers in a part-task simulator, with four displays, created by the combination of 3D versus 2-dimensional (2D) perspective and separate versus overlay hazard formats. Positioning of traffic and weather that would make it necessary to avoid hazards was designed to allow the study of both the strengths of overlay and weaknesses of 3D integration. Results: The data clearly indicated that hazard avoidance was worse with the 3D perspective display, for both traffic and weather hazards, and pointed to ambiguity as the cause. Display overlay was better than separation, but only when the task required consulting both databases. Conclusion: 3D perspective displays are not advised for hazard presentation on the flight deck. Overlays can be helpful, as long as clutter issues are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Autonomous hazard detection and avoidance (AHDA) is one of the key technologies for future safe planetary landing missions. In this paper, we address the latest progress on planetary autonomous hazard detection and avoidance technologies. First, the innovative autonomous relay hazard detection and avoidance strategy adopted in Chang’e-3 lunar soft landing mission and its flight results are reported in detail. Second, two new conceptual candidate schemes of hazard detection and avoidance are presented based on the Chang’e-3 AHDA system and the latest developing technologies for the future planetary missions, and some preliminary testing results are also given. Finally, the related supporting technologies for the two candidate schemes above are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercooled liquid water (SLW) clouds, where liquid droplets exist at temperatures below 0°C present a well-known aviation hazard through aircraft icing, in which SLW accretes on the airframe. SLW clouds are common over the Southern Ocean, and climate-induced changes in their occurrence is thought to constitute a strong cloud feedback on global climate. The two recent NASA field campaigns POlarimeter Definition EXperiment (PODEX, based in Palmdale, California, January–February 2013) and Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS, based in Houston, Texas in August–September 2013) provided a unique opportunity to observe SLW clouds from the high-altitude airborne platform of NASA's ER-2 aircraft. We present an analysis of measurements made by the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) during these experiments accompanied by correlative retrievals from other sensors. The RSP measures both polarized and total reflectance in 9 spectral channels with wavelengths ranging from 410 to 2250 nm. It is a scanning sensor taking samples at 0.8° intervals within 60° from nadir in both forward and backward directions. This unique angular resolution allows for characterization of liquid water droplet size using the rainbow structure observed in the polarized reflectances in the scattering angle range between 135° and 165°. Simple parametric fitting algorithms applied to the polarized reflectance provide retrievals of the droplet effective radius and variance assuming a prescribed size distribution shape (gamma distribution). In addition to this, we use a non-parametric method, Rainbow Fourier Transform (RFT), which allows retrieval of the droplet size distribution without assuming a size distribution shape. We present an overview of the RSP campaign datasets available from the NASA GISS website, as well as two detailed examples of the retrievals. In these case studies we focus on cloud fields with spatial features varying between glaciated and liquid phases at altitudes as high as 10 km, which correspond to temperatures close to the homogeneous freezing temperature of pure water drops (about -35°C or colder). The multimodal droplet size distributions retrieved from RSP data in these cases are consistent with the multi-layer cloud structure observed by correlative Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collisions with anthropogenic structures are a significant and well documented source of mortality for avian species worldwide. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is known to be vulnerable to collision with wind turbines and federal wind energy guidelines include an eagle risk assessment for new projects. To address the need for risk assessment, in this study, we 1) identified areas of northeastern North America utilized by migrating bald eagles, and 2) compared these with high wind-potential areas to identify potential risk of bald eagle collision with wind turbines. We captured and marked 17 resident and migrant bald eagles in the northern Chesapeake Bay between August 2007 and May 2009. We produced utilization distribution (UD) surfaces for 132 individual migration tracks using a dynamic Brownian bridge movement model and combined these to create a population wide UD surface with a 1 km cell size. We found eagle migration movements were concentrated within two main corridors along the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Coast. Of the 3,123 wind turbines ≥100 m in height in the study area, 38% were located in UD 20, and 31% in UD 40. In the United States portion of the study area, commercially viable wind power classes overlapped with only 2% of the UD category 20 (i.e., the areas of highest use by migrating eagles) and 4% of UD category 40. This is encouraging because it suggests that wind energy development can still occur in the study area at sites that are most viable from a wind power perspective and are unlikely to cause significant mortality of migrating eagles. In siting new turbines, wind energy developers should avoid the high-use migration corridors (UD categories 20 & 40) and focus new wind energy projects on lower-risk areas (UD categories 60–100). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine how European authorities have responded to reported threats to aviation resulting from individual terrorist tactics. We do so by applying the notion of political resilience and drawing on Palonen's “policy, polity, politicking, and politicization” model as well as on Malcolm Anderson's concept of “politics of the latest outrage.” We argue that the European Union response to aviation terrorism has created polity transformation and generated a long list of new policies but has also in the process become politicized and subject of politicking, with some high-profile measures being criticized for having a deleterious impact on passengers' rights. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction. Working long duty hours has often been associated with increased risk of incidents and accidents in transport industries. Despite this, information regarding the intermediate relationship between duty hours and incident risk is limited. This study aimed to test a work hours/incident model to identify the interplay of factors contributing to incidents within the aviation industry. Methods. Nine hundred and fifty-four European-registered commercial airline pilots completed a 30-item survey investigating self-report attitudes and experiences of fatigue. Path analysis was used to test the proposed model. Results. The fit indices indicated this to be a good fit model (χ² = 11.066, df = 5, p = 0.05; Comparative Fit Index = 0.991; Normed Fit Index = 0.984; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.962; Root Mean Square of Approximation = 0.036). Highly significant relationships were identified between duty hours and sleep disturbance (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), sleep disturbance and fatigue in the cockpit (r = 0.40, p < 0.001), and fatigue in the cockpit and microsleeps in the cockpit (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Discussion. A critical pathway from duty hours through to self-reported incidents in flight was identified. Further investigation employing both objective and subjective measures of sleep and fatigue is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight has been the focus of several previous studies. Most of these past studies, though, have involved examining various databases quantitatively or via a mixed-methods approach in search of possible causal factors such as pilot characteristics, weather conditions, aircraft type, and time of day. Missing from the literature are qualitative studies that tell the story of pilots who actually experienced such flights. To help fill this gap in the aviation literature, the purpose of the current study was to describe the first-hand experiences of GA pilots who inadvertently flew VFR-into-IMC. Participants consisted of 11 male pilots who previously had flown from VFR-into-IMC inadvertently at some point during their aviation career. The study used a phenomenological approach to describe participants' shared experiences and then applied grounded theory to develop a set of conjectures derived inductively from participants' responses. Using Spradley's (1979) domain analysis to categorize common themes and patterns, the major domains of Weather Considerations and Expectations, Thoughts and Actions, and Postflight Experiences emerged. Major findings from the first domain revealed that as part of their preflight actions prior to departure, participants received a weather briefing, gave little consideration to overall weather conditions, neither expected nor anticipated IMC, and used a variety of communication resources to keep current with weather related issues. Major findings from the second domain revealed that participants recognized changes in the weather en route, used various communication resources to assess their current condition, reacted to IMC by trying to avoid and escape it, expressed feelings of trepidation about what they should do, were surprised over how the weather was not what they expected, and reverted to their training to get out of IMC. Major findings from the third domain revealed that participants' postflight actions ranged from doing nothing to submitting a report to NASA's ASRS, and that lessons learned included acquiring a heightened sense of situational awareness, a need to do a better job in alternative planning, and a greater appreciation for the weather. A comparison of these findings to past studies and theory are discussed, and implications and recommendations for practice and research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the optimum airspeed for Boeing A320 aircraft in the U.S. It mentions that the jet airliner have acquired 1,162 net orders compared to its 737 Next Generation (NG) counterpart which only received 1,046. It also notes their risk from total power outage induced by bird strikes due to their untested turbofan engines.

The article discusses the research study on the relationship of continued visual flight rules (VFR) into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) in general aviation/aerospace accidents. An overview of the study is presented. The Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA) Nall Report reveals the increasing number of aviation accidents in the U.S. The research study also outlines the situational and airplane pilot characteristics which correlates to VFR flight into aviation accidents.

Wildlife incidents with aircraft cost the United States (U.S.) civil aviation industry >US$1.4 billion in estimated damages and loss of revenue from 1990 to 2009. Although terrestrial mammals represented only 2.3 % of wildlife incidents, damage to aircraft occurred in 59 % of mammal incidents. We examined mammal incidents (excluding bats) at all airports in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Wildlife Strike Database from 1990 to 2010 to characterize these incidents by airport type: Part-139 certified (certificated) and general aviation (GA). We also calculated relative hazard scores for species most frequently involved in incidents. We found certificated airports had more than twice as many incidents as GA airports. Incidents were most frequent in October ( n = 215 of 1,764 total) at certificated airports and November ( n = 111 of 741 total) at GA airports. Most (63.2 %) incidents at all airports ( n = 1,523) occurred at night but the greatest incident rate occurred at dusk (177.3 incidents/hr). More incidents with damage ( n = 1,594) occurred at GA airports (38.6 %) than certificated airports (19.0 %). Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) incidents incurred greatest (92.4 %) damage costs ( n = 326; US$51.8 million) overall and mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus) was the most hazardous species. Overall, relative hazard score increased with increasing log body mass. Frequency of incidents was influenced by species relative seasonal abundance and behavior. We recommend airport wildlife officials evaluate the risks mammal species pose to aircraft based on the hazard information we provide and consider prioritizing management strategies that emphasize reducing their occurrence on airport property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife incidents with U.S. civil aircraft cost an estimated $1.4 billion from 1990 to 2010, with mammals 5 times more likely to cause damage than other wildlife. We surveyed 2 general aviation (GA) airports and 6 Part-139 certificated (i.e., certified) airports to assess efficacy of management practices for mammalian species hazardous to aircraft. We obtained information on mammalian species present on airport grounds, types and estimated effectiveness of management techniques, and effort spent on wildlife management. We evaluated management techniques relative to aircraft-wildlife collisions (i.e., incident) frequencies taken from Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) National Wildlife Strike Database and species hazard scores calculated by body mass. Certificated airports spent 5 times more effort and used twice as many techniques as GA airports. Species considered most hazardous by all airports included white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hazard score = 94) and coyote (Canis latrans; 62). Generally, all airports surveyed are managing effectively for mammals; however, we recommend that airports with deer present install additional exclusion devices. By prioritizing species to manage and targeting management for them, airports can reduce mammalian risks to U.S. civil aircraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the frequency of bat incidents with aircraft within the U.S. using the National Wildlife Strike Database of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from 1990 to 2010. It states that human safety is threatened by and substantial economic loss occurs from wildlife collisions with aircraft. It reports that approximately 97% of wildlife incidents involving U.S. civil aircraft involve birds. It offers information on the results, indicatig that 81.7% of bat incidents occurred at night.

The required meteorology coursework for 22 accredited professional flight baccalaureate degree programs was examined and compared. Significant differences were noted in both the number of required meteorology courses as well as the number of required meteorology credit hours. While all programs required at least one three-credit meteorology course, not all programs required an aviation-specific meteorology course. In addition to the required number of meteorology courses and credit hours, topics within the aviation-specific meteorology courses were also examined. The study showed the topics of "flight hazards" and "aviation weather reports and charts" were identified most frequently in course descriptions, followed third by "weather applications to flight." However, based on the course descriptions alone, it was unclear if the meteorological theory of flight hazards was addressed in the courses or if the courses only addressed the interpretation of weather hazards charts. To improve and standardize aviation-meteorology education in professional flight-degree programs, a recommendation was made to either provide aviation-meteorology curriculum guidelines through the University Aviation Association (UAA) Curriculum Committee or to form a separate UAA Aviation-Meteorology Education Committee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relative hazards of wildlife to aircraft is important for developing effective management programs. We used Federal Aviation Administration National Wildlife Strike Database records from 1990 to 2009 in the United States to rank the relative hazard of wildlife to aircraft. We summarized data for 77 species or species groups with ≥20 records where collisions occurred ≤500 ft (152 m) above ground level. We also assessed the effects of avian body mass, body density, and group size on relative hazard scores. The 3 most hazardous species or species groups were mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer ( O. virginianus), and domestic dogs. 'Other geese' (snow goose [ Chen caerulescens], brant [ Branta bernicla], and greater white-fronted goose [ Anser albifrons]) was the most hazardous bird group. Ten of the 15 most hazardous bird species or species groups are strongly associated with water. Avian body mass was strongly associated with percentage of all strikes that caused damage, but not for species exceeding median body mass (1,125 g) of birds in damaging strikes. In contrast, percentage of damaging strikes increased when multiple birds were involved, but only for those species with body mass ≥1,125 g. Managers should prioritize efforts that will reduce habitat suitability for those species most hazardous to aircraft. We recommend use of exclusion (e.g., fences) for managing large mammals and habitat modifications (e.g., reductions in standing water) accompanied by hazing for reducing bird use of airports. We also recommend that evaluations of jet turbine engine performance following bird ingestions consider using multiple birds with body mass >1,000 g. © 2011 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the regulatory and operational background of an accident that involves Polish aircraft Tupolev TU-154M carrying the president and high level delegation on their official visit to Russia. It notes that the blame on the accident was posted to insufficient safety culture of the Polish Air Force. It also discusses the regulatory aspects of a limited extent and suggests the air force to develop and implement safety management system.

Abstract: Adverse weather conditions are hazardous to flight and contribute to re-routes and delays. This has a negative impact on the National Airspace System (NAS) due to reduced capacity and increased cost. In today’s air traffic control (ATC) system there is no automated weather information for air traffic management decision-support systems. There are also no automatic weather decision-support tools at the air traffic controller workstation. As a result, air traffic operators must integrate weather information and traffic information manually while making decisions. The vision in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) includes new automation concepts with an integration of weather information and decision-making tools. Weather-sensitive traffic flow algorithms could automatically handle re-routes around weather affected areas; this would optimize the capacity during adverse conditions. In this paper, we outline a weather probe concept called automatic identification of risky weather objects in line of flight (AIRWOLF). The AIRWOLF operates in two steps: (a) derivation of polygons and weather objects from grid-based weather data and (b) subsequent identification of risky weather objects that conflict with an aircraft’s line of flight. We discuss how the AIRWOLF concept could increase capacity and safety while reducing pilot and air traffic operator workload. This could translate to reduced weather-related delays and reduced operating costs in the future NAS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]