Radio Compassing, AWR, Dog Legs

Question 1

What is the process to determine your range from a beacon using radio compassing?

Answer 1

• Measure time to cross a set number of radials/bearings
• Use known/ flight plan groundspeed to determine distance travelled
• Use 1 in 60 rule with angle and DO known, to determine range

Question 2

What must you ensure when using time in the Radio compassing equation?

Answer 2

It is in hours

Question 3

If the time is in minutes, what is the equation for the radio compassing range calculation?

Answer 3

R = (G/S * t) ÷ angle

Question 4

What does the AWR detect and not detect? How big are these droplets?

Answer 4

• Detects water droplets, not ice crystals

- ideal droplet size is 3cm

Question 5

What corrections must you apply when calculating the height of the cloud using AWR?

Answer 5

• Convert nm in to ft (approximate 6000ft/nm)
• 10% of height difference for additional clearance from ice
• Subtract 0.5*beam width from bore sight angle
• Round final value up to nearest whole 1000ft

Question 6

What is the lateral and forward extent of the AWR display?

Answer 6

• 60˚ either side of longitudinal axis

- Up to 120nm forward

Question 7

What doe the colours mean in the AWR? What about the gradient?

Answer 7

• Different intensity
• Green, then yellow, then red, then magenta
• Gradient determines the severity of the turbulence

Question 8

What are the rules of thumb for a dog leg?

Answer 8

• 30˚ turn away will waste 0.25 of the time flown outbound
• 45˚ turn away will waste 0.5 of the imp flown outbound
• 60 turn away will water 1.0 of the time flown outbound