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Wx Radr Options

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planedriver

I'm New Here
Hello, this is my first post. I live in Canada. Way up north in Canada above the 60th Parellel. Due to the vast distances I am seriously looking at the RV10. My question is about IFR panels in kits.

Up here we have no ATC radar, no Nexrad Coverage (you'd think, dam politics), and no ATC 50nm north of here, until you hit FL230. Mostly all the IFR flying is GPS Direct and ADF approches. Still theres anything from 172's to 737's flying everyday without a hickup.

I read alot about all the new glass and the super panels that are installed in most of the new planes. While they all look amazing and do wonders, I have to ask. Do you guys actualy pick your way through thunderstorms with Nexrad? I have never flown with it but I have read that it is not real time.

I fly IFR for a living on Kingair 200's. My three favorite friends are my KLN 94, my Wx radar (the big expensive kind) and my Deice boots.

Are there any kit builders that have some sort or real time Wx Radr? I would like a simple good ol IFR (HSI) platform with maybe a KLN 90B of KLN 94 and some kind of Wx aviodence. Other that getting on top of a layer your pretty restricted with out Wx if there are CB's forcasted.

Those advanced glass panels must be a real treat. We have been flying hard IFR on steam gauges for the longest time and I really sont mind it. There are tons of airliners still working that way. The GPS for us make all the difference. Any opinions?

I see that EFIS like DAYON and Advance have great looking product that are not that $$$$$
 
planedriver said:
Hello, this is my first post. I live in Canada. Way up north in Canada above the 60th Parellel. Due to the vast distances I am seriously looking at the RV10. My question is about IFR panels in kits.

Up here we have no ATC radar, no Nexrad Coverage (you'd think, dam politics), and no ATC 50nm north of here, until you hit FL230. Mostly all the IFR flying is GPS Direct and ADF approches. Still theres anything from 172's to 737's flying everyday without a hickup.

I read alot about all the new glass and the super panels that are installed in most of the new planes. While they all look amazing and do wonders, I have to ask. Do you guys actualy pick your way through thunderstorms with Nexrad? I have never flown with it but I have read that it is not real time.

I fly IFR for a living on Kingair 200's. My three favorite friends are my KLN 94, my Wx radar (the big expensive kind) and my Deice boots.

Are there any kit builders that have some sort or real time Wx Radr? I would like a simple good ol IFR (HSI) platform with maybe a KLN 90B of KLN 94 and some kind of Wx aviodence. Other that getting on top of a layer your pretty restricted with out Wx if there are CB's forcasted.

Those advanced glass panels must be a real treat. We have been flying hard IFR on steam gauges for the longest time and I really sont mind it. There are tons of airliners still working that way. The GPS for us make all the difference. Any opinions?

I see that EFIS like DAYON and Advance have great looking product that are not that $$$$$
Click to expand...

As I live in Brazil, with many building storms, wich are very strong in summer, I?ve been searching for a weather radar for the experimental market and I?ve found nothing, but stormscopes.

Is there a Wx radar for homebuilts?

I?d love one!!!
 
planedriver said:
Do you guys actualy pick your way through thunderstorms with Nexrad? I have never flown with it but I have read that it is not real time.
Click to expand...
I did some flying with XM weather a while back - we were using it to find very bad weather to do Enhanced Visions System testing. The Nexrad is quite high resolution - once we watched a snow shower on Nexrad as it slowly moved from the FAF, where we were holding, to the airport, six miles away.

But, as you note it is not real time - it is updated every 5 minutes, and even the newest data is probably a minute or two old by the time it gets to the aircraft. It should be used for strategic decisions, well away from the cells - i.e. should I deviate north or south, or maybe just land and call it a day? It should not be used for tactical decisions near the cells - i.e. do I go between these two cells where it only shows yellow, and not red?

If you use Nexrad info properly, it can greatly increase the operational usefulness of your aircraft, by allowing flight on days with possible convective activity, while increasing the safety level. If you try to use it to allow flight close to cells, the safety level would probably be decreased, due to bad decisions based on out of date data.
 
nexrad

I concur- nexrad is great for looking what is happening 100-200 miles out enroute or at the destination to help plan for alternate routes or diversions. It's amazing to be able to watch (in near real time) a cell develop and then dissipate. It gives a very clear picture of what to expect. I think that it is a great tool, and now would not fly cross country without it.
 
None

Piloto.Mendes said:
Is there a Wx radar for homebuilts?

I?d love one!!!
Click to expand...

Not that I know of. The small antennas that would be required would render it almost useless. And it would have to draw a fair amount of DC power.
 
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