If the two mesh, the lidar could prove useful on commercial aircraft for detecting clear-air turbulence in time for pilots to instruct passengers and crew to be seated and fasten their seat belts before injuries occur. If an alarm were sounded when the turbulence was first detected, passengers would have been able to return a short distance to their seats, seat themselves, and fasten seat belts prior to the encounter. In Juneau, Alaska, NASA and AlliedSignal Inc. are currently testing one such device for this purpose. Since the lidar works only in clear skies, the two systems would complement each other in detecting both clear-air and convective turbulence. In other incidents, turbulent air has ripped off airplane engines, snapped wings in two, hurled food carts to the ceiling, and broken passengers' and flight attendants' bones.
Turbulence is the primary cause of nonfatal injuries to airline passengers and crew.
With these national resources, researchers have a better shot at developing accurate detection devices and reliable warnings for safer and more comfortable air travel in the future. UCAR is a consortium of more than 60 universities offering Ph.D.s in the atmospheric or related sciences. Beta video footage and photos of the Electra are available through NCAR Media Relations. Video animations of the lidar are available from Kirsten Williams at Dryden. The National Center for Atmospheric Research and UCAR Office of Programs are operated by UCAR under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation and other agencies.