Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) has announced the release of a white paper which explores the accurate understanding of the aerodynamic effects of rotor wakes from eVTOL aircraft.
“Why UAM needs real world rotor wake data” reports on how rotor downwash, outwash, and trailing wakes may present important implications for infrastructure design, operational safety, and airspace integration particularly in high-density urban environments such as Dubai. The paper advocates the use of LIDAR technology to conduct empirical measurements, ensuring that future UAM systems are integrated safely, efficiently, and with minimal impact on the built environment.
According to the paper introduction:
“Recent measurements of eVTOL rotorwash in hover have demonstrated velocities exceeding recommended safety thresholds at distances greater than typically expected for similarly sized helicopters. These results reinforce concerns about potentially hazardous wind forces generated during takeoff and landing. Additionally, there are enroute concerns regarding the possibility of an eVTOL upset from encounters with trailing wakes generated by emergency or special air missions. This document introduces the reader to rotorwash through basic theory illustrated by empirical data. The need for better measurements is highlighted by recent data collections and requests from regulators and experts. To fill the data gap, we recommend full-scale field measurements using pulsed coherent lidar. These measurements will contribute to developing safety guidelines, infrastructure design standards, and airspace management protocols to support the safe integration of eVTOL operations into the National Airspace System.”
For more information
https://zenodo.org/records/16557013