Visual Range: Concepts, Instrumental Determination, and Aviation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NATL INST OF STANDARDS & TECH R.I.C. AlllDD TTDEEl A1 1100990221 Douglas, C. A/Visual range : concepts, I QC100 .U556 V159;1977 C.I NBS-PUB-C 1977 NBS MONOGRAPH 159 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE / National Bureau of Standards Visual Range: Concepts, Instrumental Determination, and Aviation Applications . NBS TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS PERIODICALS NOTE: At present the principal publication outlet for these data is the Journal of Physical and Chemical reports National Bureau JOURNAL OF RESEARCH Reference Data (JPCRD) published quarterly for NBS Standards research and development in physics, of by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Amer- chemistry. It is published in mathematics, and two ican Institute of Physics (AIP). Subscriptions, reprints, sections, available separately: and supplements available from ACS, 1155 Sixteenth • Physics and Chemistry (Section A) St. N.W., Wash. D. C. 20056. Papers of interest primarily to scier* orking in Building Science Series^— Disseminates technical infor- these fields. This section covers a br .ige of physi- ^ mation developed at the Bureau on building materials, wit*- ^r on cal and chemical research, emphasis components, systems, and whole structures. The series y* standards of physical measy ^ , fundamental con- presents research results, test methods, and perform- of ^<v*'.;>sued six times a year. stants, and properties m^ ance criteria related to the structural and environmental !) Annual subscription: ^^c, $17.00; Foreign, $21.25. functions and the durability and safety characteristics • Mathematical Sci' ^^jrJ^v Section B) of building elements and systems. Studies and com'- .is designed mainly for the math- Technical Notes—Studies or reports which are complete ematician and .Q<v*etical physicist. Topics in mathemat- in themselves but restrictive in their treatment of a statis+^^{;^^\leory of design, ical experiment numerical subject. Analogous to monographs but not so compre- analysi'" ^retical physics and chemistry, logical de- hensive in scope or definitive in treatment of the sub- sign of computers sys- programming and computer ject area. Often serve as a vehicle for final reports of t'' Q^O^jnort tables. Issued numerical quarterly. Annual work performed at NBS under the sponsorship of other s\^ ocription: Domestic, $9.00; Foreign, $11.25. government agencies. DIMENSIONS/NBS (formerly Technical News Bulle- Voluntary Product Standards—Developed under proce- tin) This monthly magazine is published to inform — dures published by the Department of Commerce in Part scientists, engineers, businessmen, industry, teachers, 10, Title 15, of the Code of Federal Regulations. The students, and consumers of the latest advances in purpose of the standards is to establish nationally rec- science and technology, with primary emphasis on the ognized requirements for products, and to provide all work at NBS. The magazine highlights and reviews concerned interests with a basis for common under- such issues as energy research, fire protection, building standing of the characteristics of the products. NBS technology, metric conversion, pollution abatement, administers this program as a supplement to the activi- health and safety, and consumer product performance. ties of the private sector standardizing organizations. In addition, it reports the results of Bureau programs Consumer Information Series Practical information, in measurement standards and techniques, properties of — based on NBS research and experience, covering areas matter and materials, engineering standards and serv- of interest to the consumer. Easily understandable lang- ices, instrumentation, and automatic data processing. uage and illustrations provide useful background knowl- Annual subscription: Domestic, $12.50; Foreign,.$15. 65. edge for shopping in today's technological marketplace. NONPERIODICALS Order above NBS publications from: Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, Monographs—Major contributions to the technical liter- D.C. 20402. ature on various subjects related to the Bureau's scien- Order following NBS publications—NBSIR's and FIPS tific and technical activities. from the National Technical Information Services, Handbooks—Recommended codes of engineering and Springfield, Va. 22161. industrial practice (including safety codes) developed Federal Information Processing Standards Publications in cooperation with interested industries, professional (FIPS PUBS) Publications in this series collectively organizations, and regulatory bodies. — constitute the Federal Information Processing Stand- Special Publications Include proceedings of conferences — ards Register. Register serves as the official source of sponsored by NBS, annual reports, and other NBS information in the Federal Government regarding stand- special publications appropriate to this grouping such ards issued by NBS pursuant to the Federal Property as wall charts, cards, pocket and bibliographies. and Administrative Services Act of 1949 as amended, Applied Mathematics Series-—Mathematical tables, man- Public Law 89-306 (79 Stat. 1127), and as implemented uals, and studies of special interest to physicists, engi- by Executive Order 11717 (38 FR 12315, dated May 11, neers, chemists, biologists, mathematicians, com- 1973) and Part 6 of Title 15 CFR (Code of Federal puter programmers, and others engaged in scientific Regulations) and technical work. NBS Interagency Reports (NBSIR) —A special series of National Standard Reference Data Series—Provides interim or final reports on work performed by NBS for quantitative data on the physical and chemical proper- outside sponsors (both government and non-govern- ties of materials, compiled from the world's literature ment). In general, initial distribution is handled by the and critically evaluated. Developed under a world-wide sponsor; public distribution is by the National Techni- program coordinated by NBS. Program under authority cal Information Services (Springfield, Va. 22161) in of National Standard Data Act (Public Law 90-396). paper copy or microfiche form. BIBLIOGRAPHIC SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES The following current-awareness and literature-survey Superconducting Devices and Materials. A literature bibliographies are issued periodically by the Bureau: survey issued quarterly. Annual subscription: 830.00 . Cryogenic Data Center Current Awareness Service. A Send subscription orders and remittances for the pre- literature survey issued biweekly. Annual subscrip- ceding bibliographic services to National Bureau of tion: Domestic, S25.00 ; Foreign, S30.00'. Liquified Natural Gas. A literature survey issued quar- Standards, Cryogenic Data Center (275.02) Boulder, terly. Annual subscription: $20.00. Colorado 80302. OF STANijri ..^ti {BOABT 3 0 1977 Visual Range: Qc Concepts, Instrumental Determination, and Aviation Applications C. A. Douglas and R. L. Booker Optical Physics Division Institute for Basic Standards National Bureau of Standards Washington, D.C. 20234 Sponsored by; Federal Aviation Administration Systems Research and Development Service Weather Data Section Washington, D.C. 20553 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary Dr. Sidney Harman, Under Secretary Jordan J. Baruch, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology US NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Acting Director Issued June 1977 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Douglas, C A Visual range. (National Bureau of Standards monograph ; 159) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: €13.44:159 1. Airports--visibility. 2. Transmissometer. 3. Ceilometer. I. Booker, R. L., joint author. II, Title. III. Series: United States. National Bureau of Standards. Monograph ; 159. QC100.U556 no. 159 [TL557.V5] 602'.ls [629.135'2] 77-7343 National Bureau of Standards Monograph 159 Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Monogr. 159, 362 pages (June 1977) CODEN: NBSMA6 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1977 Printing Office For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $5.00 Stock No. 003-003-01782-5 240-848 -A- U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ; 1977 O— ABSTRACT This document is a review of the principles, procedures, and instruments used in the measurement of visual range. The fundamental concepts of the visual range of objects and lights are discussed. The principles of operation of the several classes of atmospheric attenuation meters are reviewed and representative instruments are described. The course of development of the NBS transmi ssometer, its validation and application to aviation operations is reported. An error analysis is made of the effects of instrument errors and of differences in observer thresholds on visibility measurements. A chronological review of the development and application of the runway visual range concept is included together with a discussion of cloud height measurements. KEY WORDS: Ceilometer, runway visual range, scattering, transmi ssometer, visibility, visual range. i i i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1 CHAPTER 2 DEFINITION OF TERMS 2-1 2.1 General photometric terms 2-2 2.2 Terms relating to the atmosphere 2-11 2.3 Terms related to vision 2-15 2.4 Terms related to aircraft landing operations 2-22 2.5 Miscellaneous terms 2-26 2.6 Index of terms 2-27 CHAPTER 3 CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME 3-1 3.1 Introduction 3-1 3.2 Development of the transmi ssometer, initial phase 3-1 3.3 Development of the transmissometer, 1941-1945 3-3 3.4 Development at the Landing Aids Experiment Station 3-6 3.5 Air Force application of the