Mike Borgelt wrote:
At 09:43 PM 16/09/04 +0930, you wrote:No, I am not ATC Mike, but I knew one many years ago, and there are a couple who post on aus.aviation occasionally. I also had a bit to do with Naval radars way back.
Mike Borgelt wrote:
The rules are that aircraft without generating systems(gliders and someAnd that is exactly how I have understood the rules to be also. I have used Class E on several ocassions.
others) can fly in Class E without transponders except in Class E within
40nm of Class D towers.
Does anyone know how a radar system reacts to a thermaling glider that is transponder equipped?
A couple of decades ago, I was one of a group touring through Adelaide ATC one evening. Out north of Adelaide an RAAF Macchi was doing loops in the dark and the radar system of the day had the equivalent of the Blue Screen of Death. ATC was a bit embarrassed and hurried us out.
Imagine a radar system with forty gliders thermalling if the system can't understand what is happening.
Leigh,
There is certainly a lot more computer power associated with ATC radar in the Australian environment now. I imagine that the controller can simply set the system to ignore any useles clutter like a bunch of gliders thermalling.
Anyone know for sure? Peter Creswick seemed to have inside info on the radar system? Is he ATC?
re the night aerobatics, I thought RAAF standing orders prohibited greater than 45 deg bank at night. Does seem to be widely ignored though as I remember stars drifting by the canopy during loops and barrel rolls around the rising moon during one memorable back seat Macchi ride. I even got to practise aeros myself on that and quite a few other daytime rides.
Mike Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
fax Int'l + 61 746 358796
cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784
Int'l + 61 429 355784
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
_______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
The situation with primary radar as one of them (posts as Alan) told it, is that the primary output is "normally" set to 40nm radius. They can however, with a few mouse clicks, extend it out if they wish / need to.
However, primary is only installed at the major airports and the normal radar horizon issues with range and terrain apply. They are only really intended to be used to protect the climb / descent profiles of the heavies, not searching for littlies in the ground clutter, which is mapped out in the computers anyway.
SSR heads on the other hand are spread out around the place and don't need clutter maps, since they only work on a "response" from the transponder, not a "reflection" from the airframe, so they will pick up say a helo operating real low in the Warragamba Dam area say, since there are (from memory) about 5 SSR heads around Sydney, but it will not show on primary, even though it is inside 40nm YSSY, because it is below the radar horizon from the primary radar head at YSSY. In fact, even at YSBK, the primary tapes were examined to help in the investigation of the mid-air there a couple of years ago. If memory serves, the primary only followed them down to about 600 feet or so, and didn't actually capture the collision where both were turning final, and you know how close that is to the YSSY primary head.
As for gliders circling, if they were within the scan volume of the primary, I would expect them to show up like any other target, just liike say a news helo hovering over a fire or something, (assume his transponder failed), he would still be showing. What controls the ATC's have to remove annoying targets for their display however, I am not sure.
_______________________________________________
Aus-soaring mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To check or change subscription details, visit:
http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
