Definition
An upgraded version of the Low-Level Wind Shear Alert System that uses an expanded network of wind sensors placed in and around an airport to detect wind shear and microbursts near the surface, with the data combined and analyzed to issue specific warnings to air traffic control for relay to pilots on approach, departure, and on the runway.
Plain English
It is a more advanced version of the airport wind shear warning system. More wind sensors are spread across a wider area around the airport, and a computer combines their readings to spot dangerous wind changes earlier and more precisely, so controllers can warn pilots before takeoff or landing.
Context Anchor
Pilots may hear LLWAS-NE alerts from air traffic control during departure, approach, or landing at airports equipped with the system.
Derivation
‘Network Expansion’ refers to the upgrade from the original LLWAS, which had only a handful of sensors, to a denser network covering a larger area. The expansion is what allows the system to detect smaller, more localized wind events such as microbursts.
Why Pilots Care
Provides early warning of wind shear that can cause sudden loss of airspeed and lift during critical phases of flight.
Grounding Statement
Picture several wind sensors around the airport comparing what the wind is doing in different places near the runways.
Intuition Check
LLWAS-NE does not make wind shear go away and it is not a forecast by itself; it is an alerting system that detects conditions happening near the airport.
Example Sentence 1
The tower issued an LLWAS-NE alert for a 30-knot loss on final approach to runway 27, so the crew elected to go around.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots checked the LLWAS-NE status before departure because storms were nearby.