Weather radar questions.

[WhySoTough]

Hey all.
So approaching monsoon season, ****ty weather kicking in all around, I was just looking for insight from the more experienced, as I have been getting a lot of mixed answers with this.

Most training captains emphasize on keeping the tilt on auto, and it does a pretty good job. They advice to use manual in the day time because either way you can see the weather obviously, and it's a good way to learn, but night time to just keep it at auto.

Other than that. Gain to calib after passing FL200(that is by the books).

What say guys?

Thanks in adv.

[N1 Limit]

I will agree fully with your captain,night time in weather condition isn't the best place,time to play around with weather radar Auto will best do the job for you,however weather radar tilting is a difficult game so in days conditions when obviously you can see it would be the best moment to play with it to get a depth and full understanding of it.

[Checkboard]

Whizz through these PPRuNe threads as your starter for ten:

http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/48016-terminal-area-weather-radar-technique.html

http://www.pprune.org/safety-crm-qa-emergency-response-planning/70375-met-radar-during-taxi.html

Then have a gander at this radar site:

Weather radar, online information from Severewx.com (http://www.everythingweather.com/weather-radar/Weather_radar.shtml)

[BOAC]

Well, I don't agree and in fact reverse the 'training captains advice'. It is vital, especially when you cannot 'see' the weather ie at night, to use 'TILT' to look down occasionally and see what is below and possibly active/building, especially as you approach weather. 'Auto Tilt' merely adjusts the scanner to eliminate ground returns and does NOT look down far enough for that. If your radar has 'AUTO SCAN' you are in with a chance - it 'builds' a picture of the vertical development of the cell by varying the scanner tilt automatically..

This is a good guide to how it all works http://www.airbus.com/fileadmin/media_gallery/files/safety_library_items/AirbusSafetyLib_-FLT_OPS-ADV_WX-SEQ07.pdf

As far as gain is concerned, again the opposite - I used to go max gain around the 20k mark to get an 'early warning' of activity and then when that had been seen, go to calibrated to try and assess the severity, again trying to build a vertical picture of the cell.

Probably as well I never flew with any of your TCs:)

[Pub User]

It depends on your particular radar. Recent Boeings have a multiscan device fitted that does a fantastic job in 'auto'. Older radars are not so clever, and my own preference is to leave it slightly down to see things coming, then use the tilt to measure the height if anything appears.

[AtomKraft]

As you hinted it's a bit type specific.

However.

1. Have you got ACT? If you have- use it. It gives you the best presentation. Set the MFD to 25 miles or less.

2.Gain. Consider turning it down. You need to sort out the weather you need to avoid from 'other weather'.

3. Use the WX radar 100% of the time you fly at night.

4. Turn the lightning detector ON. It can warn you of stuff 100 miles or more away and is a useful clue that there's wx about that's too far away to see.

[sidestick driver]

Just returned from a 2 hour presentation sponsored by my Company, listening to RockwellCollins WXR, B777, A320, A330, A340, all carry the same Multi scan units our no name airline uses. What an interesting lecture and presentation.
Morale of the story, Use Auto as it has so many inbuilt functions, including a memory in which you are in the world and then paints better pictures of the CB's you see. CB's differ around the world, lower over the oceans than over the continent, and so the RADAR in auto knows this.
He also said in auto it scanning at to different angles, one is down at minus 3 degrees and another higher. It puts cells into memory, so that even when you get closer and they would normally disappear, the memory will still scan it in auto and show you where the cells are nearby and below the aircraft.

He did say, use manual at TOP of descent, make a scan and look, then return to auto for the descent. (I can see some new SOP changes appearing on the horizon)

[junebug172]

Covers the Airbus and Boeing multiscan radars.

Well worth it.

Rockwell Collins MultiScan Weather Radar (download torrent) - TPB (http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/6629895/)

[sidestick driver]

Junebug172,
I believe that is it. We had the guy in person present the same slides and handed out DVDs. Great presentation and a lot more was learnt that is not in the books

[FlightPathOBN]

2 part Rockwell Collins video (is this the same presentation? I cannot access Piratebay)

MultiScan Weather Radar Module 1 Boeing - YouTube

MultiScan Weather Radar Module 2 - YouTube

[junebug172]

It is, but not all of it.

[FlightPathOBN]

bug,

Can you give me the exact title, author, will see if I can find it somewhere...thanks..

[junebug172]

That name that's in the hyperlink is all I've seen it go by.

[BOAC]

Whilst all this info on 'Auto Scan' is great, it is worth remembering that WST asked only about 'Tilt' and 'Auto Tilt' and may not have an Auto Scan radar available?

[FoxForce44]

About the Gain "thing", Airbus and Rockwell have a little "disagreement". During Rockwell tests, the manufacturer said that during the whole flight, the capabilites of the WX on AUTO GAIN/TILT were adequate for the entire flight. However, during some Airbus flight tests, the test pilots saw that flying on low levels sometimes was necessary to set manual GAIN, because of the "hiding" of significant weather during climb. Nowadays, you have a real "mess" on SOP os A320F about weather usage. Some radar you should set +8 gain passing FL 150, other 200, and others 250. In other words, a real mess

[Oceanic815Pilot]

The Airbus manual that I use varies slightly depending on serial number but in all cases the Gain +4/8 to FL 150/200 is only in Auto mode. If you switch to manual the Gain can stay in Calibrated or whatever you desire.

Personally I like Auto and Calibrated mode but as a professional I also switch to manual to evaluate the raw returns while flying through areas of activity.

Cheers