New strategies and instruments for enhancement of aviation safety

Aviation safety against weather hazards is considered. The major effects of atmospheric convection and precipitation on aviation are summarized. Recent findings on weather effects and their influence on concepts and systems for air safety enhancement are reviewed. The role of the modern high-performance radars as primary aviation weather sensors is established. Doppler weather radars are discussed, including original and extended roles of the NEXRAD. Possible performance enhancement through multiparameter observation using frequency and/or polarization diversity is discussed. Accuracy and resolution considerations for single radar observations are considered, and possible backup data sources for regions of poor coverage are mentioned. The particular case of small/medium airport coverage is discussed. The role of simpler and less expensive instruments such as profilers is put in perspective.<
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