New radar helps planes steer clear of turbulence

Thanks to new 3-D radar technology tested here in Phoenix, your next flight may not be quite so bumpy.

Turbulence is a huge problem for aircraft, especially during Arizona’s monsoon when thunderstorms are popping up all across our state.

According to Bureau of Transportation statistics, turbulence related incidents cost airlines on average 150 thousand dollars each, adding up to over 100 million dollars a year.

Not only does it cost money, but it can cause injuries to passengers on board.

Although pilots do their best to steer clear of turbulent areas, many times the radar is difficult to interpret as it picks up clutter and other misleading returns. That’s where IntuVue from Honeywell changes the game, giving pilots a three dimensional view of actual storms while recognizing “false echoes” and eliminating them from the radar display.

“With the older radars, it was kind of a black art to get it right,” said Captain Joe Duval, Chief Pilot with Honeywell.  “We've taken some of that mystery out of it and given them a nice, intuitive display which will decrease their workload and make for a smoother, safer flight.”

IntuVue does a 320 nautical mile scan out ahead of the plane, stretching from wingtip to wingtip and reaching from the ground all the way up to 60 thousand feet in the air.  That essentially doubles the distance of storm detection from the old radar systems.

IntuVue is also capable of detecting hail and lightning in those scans giving pilots up to a 10 minute lead time on approaching storms.

Southwest Airlines has already implemented this new radar in several of their newest Boeing 737 aircrafts.