The business case for turbulence sensing systems in the
US air transport sector
Journal: Air Transport Management
Author:Paul Kauffmann
Published:2002
Abstract
Turbulence is a leading cause of aviation injuries in the US air transport sector and there are technologies with the potential to mitigate this impact. However development of these systems is hindered by the lack of accurate information to determine whether they are economically feasible based on the injury and operational costs they mitigate compared to the operating and installation costs they entail. This paper contributes to resolution of this problem by identifying and analyzing a business case decision model to assess financial feasibility of these systems. First, it identifies key data elements required by the model such as the number of turbulence related injuries, the groups that are being injured, and the cost of these injuries. This data is then integrated with the cost of purchasing and operating these systems into the decision model to assess the feasibility of these possible technologies and provide sensitivity thresholds for various cost and saving elements. Product developers and safety planners will find this model useful in analyzing the potential success of turbulence sensing technologies as a market driven, cost reduction decision.