weather and Airbus help!

[beita6]

Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1


http://www.takingflight.us/forums/images/icons/icon9.gif weather concerns airbus
I am terrified about my upcoming trip across 2 continents. I am traveling SAL-MAD-Johannesburg-cape Town on monday on IB 340-600. I fear thunderstorms and the fact that I have heard Airbus doesn´t take turbulence so well. I have a couple of questions for the kind captain:

1. What kind of weather radars do these planes have? Do they also carry a stormscope?

2. What is the usual route across the atlantic? Do all planes go up the east coast as when they travel to England or would Madrid be a more southerly route?

3. I have heard the Central Africa is really primitive in regards to weather radars. Does that mean that airplanes avoid thunderstorms in the Inter Tripical Convergence zone on their own?

4. What happens if there is a Tropical Depression-storm or hurricane around the Eastern seaboard? DO airplanes get re-routed around these stoms?

[Falcon]

Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1


1. What kind of weather radars do these planes have? Do they also carry a stormscope?
{ Aircraft have radars that detect the water and can see the wind shear inside thunderstorms and heavy rain. we avoid this. Storm scopes are different and used by ground air traffic control, they are useless in the air, we dont have them}

2. What is the usual route across the atlantic? Do all planes go up the east coast as when they travel to England or would Madrid be a more southerly route?

{ Similar in travelling up the Eastern sea board probably a little more southerly but that would depend on the routes available on the day }

3. I have heard the Central Africa is really primitive in regards to weather radars. Does that mean that airplanes avoid thunderstorms in the Inter Tripical Convergence zone on their own?

{Not weather radar but radar in general. The crew will use their radar to avoid the weather themselves. }

4. What happens if there is a Tropical Depression-storm or hurricane around the Eastern seaboard? DO airplanes get re-routed around these stoms?

{Yes they are it depends on the size of the influence. Dad followed Hurricane Andrew very closely all those years ago and wondered what all the fuss was about. Getting to Florida he found most of it underwater. The landing in Orlanda MCO was conducted on time and normally }

The answers are in bold above for clarity.