April 25, 201313 yr Why does the weather radar stay on standby until you are in the air? Is this how it is designed? Usually you should be able to turn it on while on the ground, when lining up on the runway to make sure you don't fly straight into storm cells, for example.
April 25, 201313 yr So ground crew doesn't get blasted by radio waves from the WX radar. Radar waves are quite powerful, I remember an occasion where a US Aircraft Carrier came to Australia for a port visit and its radar was powerful enough to trigger all sorts of stuff (like garage doors) miles away. Edit: Just to clarify - On the ground, put WX radar on standby to warm it up. Turn it on once you're lined up. If you need time to assess the weather then tell ATC beforehand that you're going to hold for a while on the runway.
April 25, 201313 yr Author But in the real airplane does it stay stuck on standby until you are airborne? I put it in the on position and it stays in standby until I'm off the ground. I don't think it should be doing that.
April 25, 201313 yr But in the real airplane does it stay stuck on standby until you are airborne? I put it in the on position and it stays in standby until I'm off the ground. I don't think it should be doing that. It's modelled correctly. The real aircraft's WX radar is activated/forced to standby by the weight on wheels sensor. I read on PPRUNE that you can bypass this by pressing the STAB four times. Haven't tried it.
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