industry Weather radar is one of the most capable and complex units on any aircraft, and that combination makes efficient troubleshooting as challenging as it is rewarding. THE TECHNICIAN'S GUIDE TO WEATHER RADAR TROUBLESHOOTING S T O R Y B Y D A L E S M I T H L Photo courtesy of Rockwell Collins 36 avionics news * may 2018 et's look at the lifespan of the typical beam pulse sent from an aircraft's weather radar. It leaves the transmitter at the speed of light; collides with a single raindrop at 320 miles off the nose; then rushes back to the receiver - all while dodging attenuation, smog and dirt particles - where it compares the drop's location, and often directional velocity, with the millions of other pulses that shared its mission during a given millisecond. The result is the pilot gets an accurate picture of the precipitation's location and intensity. Yes, weather radar is a truly amazing bit of technology ... when it works right. Unfortunately, weather radar also is one of the most complex and misunderstood pieces of equipment on an airplane. Pilots look out the window and see a cumulous buildup and immediately look at the radar display to see if it's "painting" anything. If it's not, it must be broken - even if it's not.