The Stapleton Microburst Advisory Service Project: An Operational Viewpoint.

Abstract : A microburst advisory service project was conducted at Stapleton International Airport for a six week period during the summer of 1984. This report describes what took place during the project and what was learned from an operational, air traffic control viewpoint. Specifically, the report describes: 1) The operational, Doppler weather radar-based, microburst advisory service provided to pilots; 2) An unplanned and informal, Doppler radar-based, gust front advisory service initiated partway through the project and used by the FAA for runway management purposes; 3) The operational impact on runway operations of an unexpected, low-altitude, wind shear feature in which individual microbursts form a relatively long-lived line structure; and 4) The low-altitude wind shear environment faced by Stapleton controllers and pilots during the six week project, which took place at the peak of the Denver thunderstorm season. A microburst is a small, short-lived, low-altitude, thunderstorm-related, wind shear feature that can exhibit an intense, complex wind shear pattern that can be particularly hazardous to landing and departing aircraft. Keywords: CLAWS(Classify Locate and Avoid Wind Shear); Data acquisition; NEXRAD(Next Generation Weather Radar).