Status: this preprint was under review for the journal WES but the revision was not accepted.
Flying UltraSonic – A new way to measure the wind
Martin Hofsäß,Dominique Bergmann,Jan Denzel,and Po Wen Cheng
Abstract. Measurements of flow conditions at complex sites that are difficult to install a met mast are expensive and can only be carried out with great effort. Concepts and new measuring methods are needed to evaluate these sites. This article presents an experiment in which an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), more precisely a helicopter, was equipped with a standard 3-D ultrasonic anemometer. This UAV was positioned closed to a meteorological measuring mast and remained stationary at a constant altitude to measure the wind speed components. The data of the UAV were compared with the measurements of an ultrasonic sensor installed on the met mast. The measurements shows a deviation of 0.1 m/s for the horizontal speed. A comparison of the PSDs shows a very good agreement.
Received: 04 Nov 2019 – Discussion started: 12 Nov 2019
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We needed a way to measure wind vectors and turbulence in complex, hard-to-access terrain. We equipped a model helicopter with a standard 3-D ultrasonic anemometer. Due to the hovering capabilities, stationary point measurements are possible. The first measurements were made in flat terrain. A 100 m high stationary wind measuring mast served as reference. The results were investigated in the time domain as well as in the frequency domain.
We needed a way to measure wind vectors and turbulence in complex, hard-to-access terrain. We...