Interesting, and on the face of it, reasonable solution to the problem. With our 65:35 Heavy:Medium traffic mix, we lose about 1 arrival per hour for every 5 kt h/w increase over 10 kts.
But is the logic flawed?
Certainly on strong headwind days, the aircraft are passing over a point on the ground at longer time intervals.
But the aircraft and the wake vortex they produce are both moving relative to the mass of moving air. Surely the wake vortex generated is not staying stationary over a point on the ground? If that was the case then yes, this proposal would be reasonable.
But to the following aircraft, won't the wake still be reached in the same time, for a given spacing, regardless of the wind?
In simple terms, the airborne aircraft and the vortices don't "know" there is such a thing as wind.
Sounds like you have the Regulator convinced anyway.
