Avionics News May 2013 - 72

AIRBORNE WEATHER RADAR
Continued from page 71

they probably need some sort of
lightning or turbulence detection.”
Designed in Reliability
Another chronic analog radar
problem, which these newgeneration systems have made
major advancements in solving, is
reliability.
“One of the key benefits to
the new systems is their built-in
automatic monitoring,” Robertson
said. “Using the built-in test
equipment, the system can actually
tell you where the problem is and

72

avionics news

•

may

2013

whether it’s a failed module or a
failed function.”
“Digital systems are much more
faithful and reproducible, and
much less sensitive to noise and
EMI compared to their analog
counterparts,” Stone said. “Digital
systems require a lot less wiring,
so there’s less interference. Also,
less wiring means fewer parts and
connectors to deal with over time.”
Speaking of lowering the parts
count, Dr. Khatwa said that while the
advancements in system operation
and capabilities have gotten the
lion’s share of the accolades with
today’s advanced systems, there’s a
lot of new mechanical technology

going in under the radome.
“The advancements compared to
the 1980s technologies are huge,”
he said. “We use a new low-RPM,
direct-drive motor. And to date, we
have never had a motor fail on an
RDR-4000 series unit.”
Dr. Khatwa also said the
new high-end radar’s designers
eliminated bearings and gears, and
now uses brushless motors. While
these seem like small improvements,
the overall impact on reliability will
no doubt be game-changing.
The ‛Other’ Digital Radar
Of course, you couldn’t talk about
radar in the cockpit and not mention
the “other” digital revolution:
satellite weather.
While many pilots think having
one eliminates the need to have
the other, the fact is when both are
used, understood and used properly,
they’re quite a capable pair.
“Airborne weather radar is
the real-time measurement of
precipitation that’s in front of the
aircraft at a given distance,” Stone
said. “Datalink, satellite-based
weather is the relay of weather
information collected by groundbased radar stations.
“For example, if it’s a Nexrad
display, it’s based on a radar antenna
that’s pointing up from the ground.
It’s a totally different cross-section
of the cloud than you would get from
an airborne system.”
Another element is because all the
ground-based information has to be
collected and then transmitted up to
the satellite, which then rebroadcasts
the information back down the
aircraft’s receiver, the “weather” can
be 10 or 15 minutes old depending on
the network’s capabilities.


http://www.beckerusa.com

Avionics News May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News May 2013

Point of Communication
AEA now
The View from Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Beltway Briefing
Power Redundancy in the Age of Digital Cockpits
Member Profile
Capital Quest
Avionics News Through the Years
Equipping for International Operations
A Conversation With...
Member Profile
What is Australia Waiting For?
AEAviators
Going Global
Business Basics
The History of Avionics
Meet the AEA Board of Directors
A Real-Time Look at Airborne Weather Radar
Aviation Aces
Legal Ease
What's New
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News May 2013 - Intro
Avionics News May 2013 - Cover1
Avionics News May 2013 - Cover2
Avionics News May 2013 - 1
Avionics News May 2013 - 2
Avionics News May 2013 - 3
Avionics News May 2013 - Point of Communication
Avionics News May 2013 - 5
Avionics News May 2013 - AEA now
Avionics News May 2013 - 7
Avionics News May 2013 - 8
Avionics News May 2013 - 9
Avionics News May 2013 - 10
Avionics News May 2013 - 11
Avionics News May 2013 - 12
Avionics News May 2013 - 13
Avionics News May 2013 - The View from Washington
Avionics News May 2013 - 15
Avionics News May 2013 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News May 2013 - 17
Avionics News May 2013 - 18
Avionics News May 2013 - Beltway Briefing
Avionics News May 2013 - Power Redundancy in the Age of Digital Cockpits
Avionics News May 2013 - 21
Avionics News May 2013 - 22
Avionics News May 2013 - 23
Avionics News May 2013 - Member Profile
Avionics News May 2013 - 25
Avionics News May 2013 - 26
Avionics News May 2013 - 27
Avionics News May 2013 - Capital Quest
Avionics News May 2013 - 29
Avionics News May 2013 - 30
Avionics News May 2013 - 31
Avionics News May 2013 - Avionics News Through the Years
Avionics News May 2013 - 33
Avionics News May 2013 - Equipping for International Operations
Avionics News May 2013 - 35
Avionics News May 2013 - 36
Avionics News May 2013 - 37
Avionics News May 2013 - 38
Avionics News May 2013 - 39
Avionics News May 2013 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News May 2013 - 41
Avionics News May 2013 - Member Profile
Avionics News May 2013 - 43
Avionics News May 2013 - 44
Avionics News May 2013 - 45
Avionics News May 2013 - What is Australia Waiting For?
Avionics News May 2013 - 47
Avionics News May 2013 - 48
Avionics News May 2013 - 49
Avionics News May 2013 - AEAviators
Avionics News May 2013 - 51
Avionics News May 2013 - Going Global
Avionics News May 2013 - 53
Avionics News May 2013 - 54
Avionics News May 2013 - 55
Avionics News May 2013 - Business Basics
Avionics News May 2013 - 57
Avionics News May 2013 - 58
Avionics News May 2013 - 59
Avionics News May 2013 - The History of Avionics
Avionics News May 2013 - 61
Avionics News May 2013 - 62
Avionics News May 2013 - 63
Avionics News May 2013 - Meet the AEA Board of Directors
Avionics News May 2013 - 65
Avionics News May 2013 - 66
Avionics News May 2013 - 67
Avionics News May 2013 - A Real-Time Look at Airborne Weather Radar
Avionics News May 2013 - 69
Avionics News May 2013 - 70
Avionics News May 2013 - 71
Avionics News May 2013 - 72
Avionics News May 2013 - 73
Avionics News May 2013 - Aviation Aces
Avionics News May 2013 - 75
Avionics News May 2013 - Legal Ease
Avionics News May 2013 - 77
Avionics News May 2013 - What's New
Avionics News May 2013 - 79
Avionics News May 2013 - 80
Avionics News May 2013 - 81
Avionics News May 2013 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News May 2013 - 83
Avionics News May 2013 - 84
Avionics News May 2013 - Cover3
Avionics News May 2013 - Cover4
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