VFR "picking his way thru" heavy cells with XM Radio weather

On 6/4/2007 1:19:37 PM, Luke Skywalker wrote:

I think that your instincts are pretty good here.

I guess my primary point, which may not have come across in the original
post, is that if ATC has the ability to provide weather avoidance, pilots of
a less-equipped aircraft (including the subject of this thread) should be
very thankful to accept that service rather than go about it on his/her own.

The clip I am putting together will hopefully back up my impression that the
pilot believed his Garmin 396 was a real-time radar with capabilities similar
to the commercial carriers' type. To counter his impression, my experience as
an IFR pilot over the last five years demonstrates that even airline pilots
will take all the ATC weather avoidance assistance provided, despite having
their own real-time radar on board and assuming those vectors don't conflict
with the pilots' weather perspective.

--
Peter

On Jun 4, 1:24 pm, "Peter R." wrote:
To counter his impression, my experience as
an IFR pilot over the last five years demonstrates that even airline pilots
will take all the ATC weather avoidance assistance provided, despite having
their own real-time radar on board and assuming those vectors don't conflict
with the pilots' weather perspective.

--
Peter

Absolutly I am a line check airman and a DE in the B737...

Most pilots do not realize how limited WX Radar is on a light plane.
The antenna size is small compared to wavelength, the power limited,
hence the farther out you "go" the worst the picture gets conforming
to real life.

Airline radars are so much better because of power and antenna size
then General Aviation radars...but even they are no match for the
power and resultion of even ATC radars in terms of WX. ATC radars are
air search not so much WX but with modern technology the WX
information can be "used" before it is stripped off for primary target
display.

With modern digital processing ATC has a pretty good handle on what is
going on "long range" and airline pilots use it whenever the help is
offered.

Robert

In article . com,
Luke Skywalker wrote:

Airline radars are so much better because of power and antenna size
then General Aviation radars...but even they are no match for the
power and resultion of even ATC radars in terms of WX. ATC radars are
air search not so much WX but with modern technology the WX
information can be "used" before it is stripped off for primary target
display.

Robert, I read much of what Dave Gwinn said in his AvWeb podcast in your
post. :-)
Dave also mentions asking the ATC controller to press his "Weather 3"
key and describe the "slashes and H's" along your route.

On Jun 5, 4:31 pm, john smith wrote:


Robert, I read much of what Dave Gwinn said in his AvWeb podcast in your
post. :-)
Dave also mentions asking the ATC controller to press his "Weather 3"
key and describe the "slashes and H's" along your route.

Thank you. I am a pilot by profession and joy but an engineer (and a
military history person) by education....and I am a ham radio
operator...and a RF radar engineer.

"Weather 3" is a good key...the new ASR displays are quite good...and
there is some software coming along which will marry all the Nexrad/
ASR stuff and to do it from a lot of different sites.

I am frequently amazed from a "personal" perspective what happens if
you put a "picture" before someone. It becomes "the almighty truth"
regardless of the limitations of what the picture says. WX
information is just that...

I dont know how many times I have sat with new first officers or
upgrading captains or private pilots in new twins or ones with stuff
like 396's...and they see the picture and have no real idear about
what the limitations are.

I rode shotgun one time with a guy in his new (to him) Cessna 400
series twin and he saw the picture and was buying everything just
right down the line.

All this stuff is good as long as one understands what the "limits"
are...the words of Inspector Calahan seem to hold true..."A man has
got to know his limitations"

Robert

On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:10:40 -0700, Luke Skywalker
wrote in
. com:

"A man has got to know his limitations"


Or in this case, the limitations of his equipment.

On Jun 5, 8:44 pm, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:10:40 -0700, Luke Skywalker
wrote in
. com:

"A man has got to know his limitations"

Or in this case, the limitations of his equipment.

so true.

I love that scene from Eastwood...The three minutes or so "before" all
the way to the words being spoken is something I recommend for all
pilots...lol

Robert

("Larry Dighera" wrote)
"A man has got to know his limitations"

Or in this case, the limitations of his equipment.


"I WAS IN THE POOL!"
"I WAS IN THE POOL!"
"I WAS IN THE POOL!"


Montblack

On Wed, 6 Jun 2007 00:36:36 -0500, "Montblack"
wrote in
:

("Larry Dighera" wrote)
"A man has got to know his limitations"

Or in this case, the limitations of his equipment.


"I WAS IN THE POOL!"
"I WAS IN THE POOL!"
"I WAS IN THE POOL!"


Montblack



Okay, his aircraft's equipment. :-)