BFGOODRICH Aerospace has introduced the WX-950 Stormscope thunderstorm-detection system, billed as the only lighting detector with two modes of operation. In cell mode, the WX-950 uses a ranging algorithm to map thunderstorms. In strike mode, the system records and displays individual lightning strikes.
While cell mode was developed to improve the display of thunderstorm range, BFGoodrich says that many pilots familiar with earlier Stormscope systems prefer the added data available in strike mode. Cell mode has been included in the WX-950 to make it easier for novice pilots to read the display.
Priced at under $7,000, the single-box WX-950 provides a heading-stabilised display, with 360¡ or 120¡-forward coverage and range selectable between 45km (25nm) and 370km. The combined panel-mounted processor and cathode-ray-tube display weighs just 1.7kg, the company says.
BFGoodrich says that more than 26,000 Stormscope units have been sold, since the original WX-7 system was introduced by the Ryan Stormscope company in 1976. 3M acquired the product line in 1981, eventually selling the Stormscope business to BFGoodrich in 1991. Aimed mainly at private aircraft, the WX-950 incorporates many of the features of the top-of-the-line WX-1000+.
Source: Flight International
