Airborne Weather Radar - is a type of radar used to provide an indication to pilots of the intensity of convective weather.

The radar antenna is located in the nose of the aircraft.

OPS 1.670 or the Airborne Weather Radar Equipment Regulation stated that:
An operator shall not operate:
• a pressurized aero plane
• an unpressurized aero plane ( more that 5700 kg)
• an unpressurized aero plane having a maximum approved passenger seating con guration of more than 9 seats, unless it is equipped
with airborne weather radar equipment.

Cumulonimbus Clouds (CB) - are menacing looking multi-level clouds, extending high into the sky in towers or plumes. More commonly
known as thunderclouds. Cb is the only cloud type than can produce hail, thunder and lightning.

Rainfall Category

Blue - mist to light

Green - moderate
Yellow - heavy
Orange - very heavy
Red - intense
Purple - extreme (hail)

EFFECTS:

Flight into Cb is hazardous, it can reasonably expect to encounter:

• Severe Turbulence
• In- ight Icing
• Electrical disturbance, such as lightning
• Heavy precipitation including hail

DEFENSES:

Flight Planning - the weather brie ng (SIGMET charts) will show areas of predicted Cumulonimbus activity and the crew have the
opportunity at this stage to plan a route to avoid it.

NUMBER OF DEFENSES ONCE AIRBORNE:

Weather Radar - All larger aircraft are likely to be tted with weather radar and it is frequently required in accordance with aircraft
certi cation and operating regulations. It is important to y with the system switched ON.

Routing - A Cb should be cleared by a minimum of 5,000 ft vertically and 20 NM laterally, to minimize the risk of encountering severe
turbulence. Use weather radar for in- ight avoidance or following the “line of least risk”, but be aware that a large cloud can absorb a
great deal of the radar energy which may therefore not penetrate all of the way through the storm.

Speed Reduction - All aircraft have in their Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) a Design Maneuvering Speed (VA) for full scale ight control
de ection and usually a speci ed Rough Air Speed (Vra). If during ight, rough air or severe turbulence is encountered, reduce the
airspeed as recommended in the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) to minimize stress on the aircraft structure.

~ BEWARE, however, of reducing airspeed too much; a compromise between ying slowly enough to minimize the stresses on the airframe
and ying fast enough to be protected against inadvertent stall and loss of control due to wind shear will be required.

Cabin Preparation - warn the cabin crew and passengers in plenty of time, thus giving notice for the cabin crew to make the cabin
secure, seat and check passengers restraints and get themselves seated with harness fastened.

TILT CONTROL

Climb - weather radars can often have 2 attitude references; slaved to the aircraft attitude or external horizon. Make sure that your
tilt setting takes account of which reference source you are using. With the radar slaved to the external horizon and a 0 degree angle set on
the tilt control, you will not be viewing the weather ahead of you in a 5 deg climb but observing the weather below that you will be climbing
over.

Cruise - weather radars usually have a beam width of around 2.5 deg. Setting the tilt control to around 1deg down (relative to the
external horizon) will allow you to observe weather ahead and slightly below the aircraft. If your radar allows multiple elevation scans,
then it is prudent to select a pattern that spends some time looking lower than the aircraft to give yourself the best chance of identifying
developing weather systems, thus allowing you to take early avoiding action.

Descent - as for the climb, ensure that you have got the tilt set to allow for the system attitude reference that is enabled. Another
issue with descents is the potential for confusion with ground returns. Whilst modern radar systems often have algorithms designed to
screen out ground clutter, your system may not.

~ As in the cruise you can use the beam width to help; consider setting the tilt control to 1 deg up in order to minimize ground clutter
returns.

INTER TROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE (ITCZ)

Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) - is a belt of low pressure which circles the Earth generally near the equator where the trade
winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. It is characterized by convective activity which generates often
vigorous thunderstorms over large areas. It is most active over continental land masses by day and relatively less active over the ocean

> The position of the ITCZ varies with the seasons, and lags behind the sun's relative position above the Earth's surface by about 1 to 2
months, and correlates generally to the thermal equator. Since water has a higher heat capacity than land, the ITCZ propagates poleward
more prominently over land than over water, and over the Northern Hemisphere than over the Southern Hemisphere.

> Where the trade winds are weak, the ITCZ is characterized by isolated Cumulus (Cu) and Cumulonimbus (Cb) (Cb) cells. However, where
the trade winds are stronger, the ITCZ can spawn a solid line of active Cb cells embedded with other cloud types developing as a result of
instability at higher levels. Cb tops can reach and sometimes exceed an altitude of 55,000 feet, and the ITCZ can be as wide as 300
nautical miles in places presenting a formidable obstacle to aircraft transit.

E ects :
Cb clouds such as
• icing
• turbulence
• lightning
• wind shear

WEATHER SYSTEMS

Weather Systems - are simply the movement of warm and cold air across the globe. These movements are known as low-pressure
systems and high-pressure systems.

High-Pressure Systems - are rotating masses of cool, dry air. High-pressure systems keep moisture from rising into the atmosphere and
forming clouds. Therefore, they are usually associated with clear skies.

Low-Pressure Systems - are rotating masses of warm, moist air. They usually bring storms and high winds.

Weather map - is lled with symbols indicating di erent types of weather systems. Spirals, for instance, are cyclones or hurricanes,
and thick lines are fronts.

Cyclones - have a spiral shape because they are composed of air that swirls in a circular pattern.

A Front / Weather Front - is a narrow zone across which temperature, humidity, and wind change abruptly. A front exists at the boundary
between two air masses.
An air mass - is a large volume of air that is mostly the same temperature and has mostly the same humidity.

Warm Front - when a warm air mass moves into the place of a cold air mass, the boundary between them. On a weather map, a warm
front is shown as a red band with half-circles pointing in the direction the air is moving.
Cold Front - When a cold air mass takes the place of a warm air mass, the boundary between them. On a weather map, a cold front is
shown as a blue band with triangles pointing in the direction the air is moving.

Stationary Front - develops when warm air and cold air meet and the boundary between the two does not move. On a weather map, a
stationary front is shown as alternating red half-circles and blue triangles, pointing in opposite directions.

Occluded Front - When a cold front overtakes a warm front, the new front. On a weather map, an occluded front is shown as a purple
band with half-circles and triangles pointing in the direction the air is moving. Cold fronts are able to overtake warm fronts because they
move faster.