When switched on by the pilots, it sweeps from left to right, sending out a wave of energy into the path ahead of the aircraft. The radar unit itself is surprisingly small, taking up only a tiny part of the space behind the radome. Here, aircraft designers house the onboard weather radar system. This provides the most aerodynamically efficient shape, but it also resulted in a certain amount of dead space between the tip of the nose and the front of the flight deck. The design of modern airliners, for the most part, has a pointed nose before the body widens out to accommodate the passenger cabin and cargo compartments. In the 1960s, due to the invention of the transistor, the systems became so much smaller and lighter they could be fitted to commercial aircraft. The technology was developed further and used to help predict and monitor hurricanes in the U.S. With the war over, the now redundant radar systems were given to various weather agencies, in particular, the National Weather Service. In 1935, Sir Robert Watson-Watt developed technology that was able to use this information detect thunderstorms based on the electromagnetic waves they emit. Investigating this further, they discovered that these were in fact build-ups of clouds. With the advancement in technology, Allied forces were able to set up a powerful radar defense network around the U.K., alerting them to the arrival of enemy aircraft well before they reached the shores.ĭespite the effectiveness in identifying German bombers, radar operators were finding their systems were picking up other returns which were not aircraft. Pilots use the weather radar to navigate around thunderstorms. However, the transmitters used in the devices were limited in range.īut in February of 1940, Great Britain developed the resonant-cavity magnetron, which was able to generate far more powerful microwaves, and subsequently increasing the range and opening the door to the second generation of radar systems. Radar was developed independently by a number of nations in the 1930s, at the outbreak of the war, and used to detect enemy aircraft using a mixture of radio wave and microwave technology. Whilst the principles behind radar have been known since the late 19th century, the technology really only came into its own during World War II. To make real-time weather decisions we have something on board the aircraft to help us in the moment: the weather radar. Still, a forecast is only an educated guess as to what will happen in the future. And we also have access to more detailed forecasting than ever before. How pilots interpret the wind and cloud formations around them plays a major role in the safety of their aircraft and passengers. It's far safer to sail today than it ever has been. Today, mariners have the benefit of sophisticated weather forecasting systems, satellite images and the ability to communicate with other ships in the area. Correctly interpreting the weather is a key skill for both mariners and pilots.
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