TAKE-OFF AND LANDING CRITICAL ATMOSPHERIC TURBULENCE (TOLCAT) ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION.

Abstract : A review and analysis of current knowledge of turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer is presented. Particular emphasis is on identifying and analyzing the aspects of low altitude turbulence that have the greatest influence on the design and operation of V/STOL aircraft in the atmospheric boundary layer. The nature, quality and applicability of reported turbulence measurements is discussed, and several resulting empirical descriptions of the boundary layer are compared. Deficiencies in the data are specifically identified and discussed. The foundations, assumptions, and limitations of the statistical analyses of boundary layer turbulence which are now in use are identified and discussed. The nature of atmosphere-vehicle interactions and current and potential methods of analyzing these interactions are discussed. (Author)