As you move up into more complex and capable aircraft, at some point you may be lucky enough to fly an airplane equipped with airborne weather radar. Interpreting the presentation from these sophisticated devices is similar to using weather radar on the ground, but this time you’re the one taking the “picture.”
Airborne weather radar works much like its ground-bound brother. A radio signal is sent out through an antenna, which is usually located in the airplane’s nose, or in a pod on the wing. The device determines how long it takes the signal to return, and then calculates from that elapsed time how far away a target is. Anything that gets in the way of the signal, such as rain—or the ground—reflects some of the radio energy. The radar senses this and displays it as a color. The more energy that is reflected back, the stronger the indication on the display. What’s ultimately presented is a cross-section of the storm from a bird’s-eye view.
There’s a certain art to operating the radar. Because airplanes fly at different altitudes and attitudes, where the radio beam “looks” must be able to change. This tilt is controlled by the pilot. If it’s too low, the radar will simply map the ground. Too high and it will miss the worst of the weather. To make sure they’re getting the proper picture, pilots usually tilt the antenna down until the radar maps the ground, and then tilt it up until only a little ground remains on the display.
