What's "Level"?

[colbysmith]

when airline pilots were transitioning from analog radar to the Rockwell Collins digital radar on the Boeing 757/767, I flew in the jump seat for more than two hundred flights. My function on those flights was to coach the pilots on how to get the best performance from the radar. This involves varying controls such as range, gain, ground clutter suppression, and tilt. Small adjustments can go a long way toward increasing the pilot’s confidence in what the radar is displaying.

I retired from AA flying the 757 and 767. I started my career with them flying the 727. Most of my prior experience was on the USCG C130 spending my last year on that in Kodiak Ak. That’s where I got my best radar training as we not only used aviation radar for weather but many times more for finding ships/boats and ground mapping. I took that knowledge with me to the airline especially while flying in and out of ski cities and even many of our regular airports out west with big hills around them. Something I learned is that dials are made to play with! Sadly too many of my fellow pilots would turn on their radar, put it basically in an automatic setting and never tweak the dials to get a better picture. Two things I believe are important. First use your radar on a perfectly clear day when you can see/learn to read what it’s showing you. That will also help build your confidence for when you really need it! Two, don’t be afraid to play with/adjust the settings. Varying the view will give you a better picture of what’s out there! Colby

 

[hardee]

Wesley and Colby. Thank you. Really good advice.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[PNW_Wesley]

Why did you choose the Garmin Fantom over the offerings by Furuno, Simrad (4G, Halo 20/24) or Lowrance (3G) or RayMarine Axiom Quantum 2 radars?

Bob - I don't have first-hand experience with the other brands, so I can not comment on how well they perform. A detailed comparison of brands and their features would be beyond the scope of this thread.