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RECATEGORIZATION OF WAKE TURBULENCE STANDARDS RECAT 14 NextGen Now | Summer 2015 Wake turbulence forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. The turbulence generated by the wake of an aircraft can be hazardous for aircraft passing through it. Experts in wake turbulence, safety, and risk analysis determined that the required separation between certain aircraft could be decreased while still maintaining safety. This determination followed a decade of extensive, collaborative research. Wake Turbulence Recategorizaton (RECAT) is the safe decrease in separation standards between certain aircraft, and it has made applying wake turbulence separations between aircraft easier for controllers. Safely reducing separation standards between aircraft increases capacity and efficiency, which in turn leads to fewer delays, saving time and fuel burn while reducing the size of aviation's carbon footprint. The wake category is placed in the data block that radar controllers see and the flight strips that tower controllers read. This removes a time-consuming step in determining the wake separation between the many different types of aircraft. "This is important because during heavy traffic, every second is critical," says NATCA Wake RECAT Lead Scott Pressley. In Memphis and at the other airports where RECAT has been implemented, RECAT has increased efficiency, while maintaining the same high standard of safety the users of the National Airspace System enjoy today. In addition to Memphis, the NATCA-FAA team has implemented RECAT at Louisville, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Houston, New York-Kennedy, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Teterboro, and most recently Charlotte- Douglas. "The implementation was smooth, and the controllers at Charlotte handled the change well," says Pressley. "Charlotte Airport has a very complex layout and implementing any change that can put more airplanes on their taxiways can be a challenge. It is a testament to the talent of their workforce that the transition went that well." There are plans for imminent implementation of the procedures at Chicago O'Hare and Midway, and San Francisco-area airports.

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