## 3 Research Environment and Plan of Experiment
### Flight Plan and Its Realization for Estimating Vertical Gusts  
The simulator environment lacked the capability for the selection of vertical gust parameters. This highlights the constraints of flight simulator assumptions in this context and emphasizes the necessity for more in-depth research into this phenomenon. However, a vertical gust component was present in the microburst simulation model, which included both frontal and lateral wind components. Microbursts could be introduced during any flight phase selected via the instructor station module. The simulations were conducted under the following additional assumptions:  
* Constant thrust was maintained during level flight prior to the occurrence of a microburst,
* Variable thrust as the autothrottle control system responds to a microburst,
* Simultaneous occurrence of side and frontal wind components in the available microburst model. The first microburst simulation was conducted during descent, which was also performed using LVL CHG mode (Figures 23 and 24). During the descent from an altitude of 12,000 ft (3658 m) to an altitude of 8000 ft (2439 m), 104 s after the start of the simulation, at an altitude of 10,000 ft (3048 m), a microburst was generated. Figure 24 shows the microburst parameters in the aircraft-related coordinate system and the vertical gust profile as a function of altitude. Analyzing both the flight parameters and the values of the microburst components, it can be noticed that the strongest frontal gusts of all the recordings (reaching 30 m/s) did not cause such a large decrease in the IAS speed as in the later microburst simulation during the descent (IAS speed decrease by 27 m/s for U\({}_{\text{g}}\) max = 28.9 m/s vs. IAS speed decrease by 42 m/s for U\({}_{\text{g}}\) max = 25 m/s). The crosswind  
Figure 21: (**A**) Altitude, (**B**) IAS, and (**C**) VVI recorded during simulated flight—climb phase. Figure 22: Registered ideal gusts measurements from the simulation weather section—climb phase; (**A**)—wind speed as a function of time, (**B**)—wind speed as a function of altitude. components in the presented microburst model were minor, with a maximum speed of 2.4 m/s. The peak vertical gust reached 5.35 m/s. Under windless conditions, the vertical speed was 6.6 m/s, increasing to 10.8 m/s during the microburst. This may indicate the reduced inertia of the aircraft during descent, making it easier for the automatic control systems to counteract the loss of speed. However, it is associated with a risk resulting from a visible increase in descent (120 s of simulation). In such circumstances, the risk of accident increases as the altitude above the terrain decreases. A sudden increase in vertical speed combined with a drop in IAS speed leads to a greater descent gradient and, consequently, a steeper angle of descent. This can trigger EGPWS warnings, necessitate a terrain escape maneuver, or even result in a catastrophic outcome. During the next simulation (Figures 25 and 26), the aircraft was flying at a constant altitude of 10,000 ft (3048 m). The flight was performed fully automatically using the autopilot mode--ALT HLD with a selected constant IAS speed of 250 kt (128.6 m/s). During the first stage of the flight, at an altitude of 10,000 ft, there was no wind. Fifty seconds into the simulation, after the flight parameters were stabilized, a sudden microburst was triggered from the instructor station. Wind began increasing simultaneously in three axes (Figure 26). The headwind speed (U\({}_{\text{g}}\)) increased, peaking at 22 m/s, then it started to decrease, shifting to a tailwind at the 55 th second of the simulation. The tailwind at the extreme also reached a speed of 22 m/s, decreasing to zero 20 s after the microburst occurred. At the same time, a much weaker lateral gust was observed, with a peak value of only 1.8 m/s and changing direction throughout the event.