Aviation Constraint Studies

This is the principal service we offer on wind energy projects. We Research the regional aeronautical environment for each project including all public-use and military airports, their visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR)approach and departure procedures, traffic patterns, VFR flyways, enroute airways, minimum vectoring altitudes (MVA), military operating areas (MOA), IFR and VFR military training routes (MTR), and the proximity of radar facilities including Airport Surveillance (ASR), Long Range (ARSR), Air Defense and Homeland security (DOD/DHS), and Weather Surveillance Radars.

We then analyze the project area using criteria from Federal Aviation Regulations Part 77, Objects Affecting the Navigable Airspace; Federal Aviation Administration Order JO 7400.2G, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters; and Federal Aviation Administration Order 8360.3B, United Standard for Terminal Instrument Procedures (AKA TERPs) and prepare a report and map of our findings for each project.

The GIS-based map consists of a circle or polygon enclosing the project areas divided into sectors showing the maximum allowable heights for turbines or communication towers in those sectors. If requested by the client, both a hard copy and GIS shapefiles can be provided along with the written report to aid in turbine siting and project development. The cost or these studies is a function of the size of the area and the aeronautical complexity.