Wx Radar?
HEATHROW DIRECTOR
(I take it we're on 120.4 here?)
I'm just coming up to my 30th year of slaving over a hot altimeter and would just like to "spill the beans" on this subject
The two main factors that combine to create the problems you are facing on "weather" days is the limitations of wx radar onboard and a very small number of crews over-sensitivity to clouds and rain.
Modern colour wx radar requires a certain level of skill in order to get a true picture of the weather around. Far too many crews fail to alter the tilt or elevation of the antenna thus clutter the picture with ground returns which can make innocuous targets appear much more severe. Similarly there is a reluctance to select away from "auto" and adjust the sensitivity in order to try and reduce the "green" surrounding the bigger CB's. The equipement on my 777 is very good at filling the screen with returns from just rain and it needs tuning to find if there is any red about.
More controvertially - I have noticed over the years an increase in the number of pilots who are unhappy in bad weather. I'm not talking about those dark and stormy nights when we all wish we were "down there" but small CU, light turb and some rain on the window! Sometimes I have had to insist that "right 20" for a small fairweather CU is not absolutely necessary when it isn't even painting. Maybe my early experience of coping with severe Scottish weather, sometimes alone, has taught me to respect the atmosphere we work in but also the strength of our machines.
We all like to give our passengers a smooth ride but I will take standard seperation over comfort any day..........
P.S Still think UK ATC is the best in world.
P.P.S Thanks for the LAM snatch on Wednesday BA156