New Honeywell Weather Radar Capabilities for Ametek MRO

Ametek MRO Muirhead Avionics now has the full capability to bench check, repair, and overhaul the Honeywell RTA-4B. Muirhead Avionics is an OEM-approved overhaul and repair station with services for flight data and cockpit instrumentation for civil and military aircraft.

The RTA-4B is the solid-state radar receiver and transmitter used in the RDR-4B Forward Looking Windshear Detection Radar System. It is capable of processing doppler radar pulses used to detect turbulence, wind shear, weather, and terrain, which allows flight crews using the RDR-4B system to receive advance warnings of wind conditions and both visual and audio wind shear warnings, which are issued 10 to 60 seconds before encounter. The radar automatically turns on when a wind shear event is detected, and the system alerts the crew. The RTA-4B also contains the circuits necessary to interface to the aircraft’s attitude reference for antenna stabilization, system integrity, self-testing, and fault memory.

The Honeywell RDR-4B is the newest version of the RDR-4A, adding wind shear processor and detection capabilities. In 1994, it was the first predictive wind shear system to be certified for commercial airline operation. Wind shear is a microscale meteorological phenomenon occurring over a very small distance, but has been a sole or contributing cause of many aircraft accidents. It can be caused by the transition from offshore to onshore, weather fronts, thermal wind, planetary boundary layer, and severe weather conditions such as thunderstorms. Between 1964 and 1985, wind shear directly caused or contributed to 26 major civil transport aircraft accidents in the U.S., leading to 620 deaths and 200 injuries. Effectively, the inclusion of wind shear detection is a huge advancement in safety technology.

As a result, MRO services for the RTA-4B is necessary and significant, being a viable and important addition to the MRO capability of Ametek MRO Muirhead Avionics.

1. jacob luiz
2. Posted on January 11, 2018
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