AIR OPERATIONS
The Terms of Reference for the current study included preliminary definition of the replacement airport's air traffic control system requirements and costs, studies of airport capacity, and definitions of airspace reservations and the controls needed for their protection. In the 1973- 1975 study, the Consultants had noted the potential constraints on the site's operational capability as a result of terrain some distance from the airport. Emphasis in the current work was placed on identifying and evaluating these potential constraints to determine if the full capability of the selected site could be realized.
The study of capacity and potential operating constraints concentrated in four areas:
(1) Meteorology
(2)
Terrain and airspace
(3) Aircraft performance
(4) Separation criteria
Unfortunately, meteorological data for the selected site is not yet available in sufficient depth for a thorough analysis; the judgment of the Royal Observatory staff was the basis for evaluating potential meteorological constraints. Preliminary data from the newly established Chek Lap Kok station indicates there will be no significant wind or temperature constraints on the use of the site. A programme was recommended and initiated during the Consultancy to collect and evaluate limited data on low- level wind shears. The wind patterns and terrain configu- ration around the site suggest the possibility of this phenomenon, which will probably not constrain opera- tional capability but will, perhaps, require additional instrumentation and prediction capability.
The subjects of terrain and airspace are interrelated. Parcels of airspace must be defined for flight in the terminal area. Clearly, the mountainous character of the land in the Hong Kong environs will subject any site to potential operating constraints. The mountainous length of Lantau Island constitutes a barrier to operations south of the site. There are potential terrain constraints for defining flight envelopes to the north, east, and south of Chek Lap Kok. To the west and southwest, there are virtually no constraints on aircraft operations. Figure 11 depicts the general character of the terrain and its influence on Chek Lap Kok operations, illustrating potential operating envelopes for flights departing the site to the northeast.
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• WILBUR SMITH & ANS-
ALINN MELVIN WARD PARTNERSHIP
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