PHOENIX — Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Ariz., will equip Omni Taxi Aereo's fleet of 33 Leonardo AW139 helicopters with its IntuVue RDR-7000 weather radar. This upgrade expands the operator's use of advanced weather sensing across aircraft that regularly fly offshore missions.
Omni uses helicopters to transport passengers and equipment to offshore energy platforms, where weather conditions can change quickly and alternate landing options are often limited. The company said it will upgrade every AW139 in its fleet rather than installing the radar on only a portion of its aircraft.
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Offshore flying leaves less room for weather surprises
Pilots flying over water often face different challenges than crews operating over land. Storms can develop rapidly, visibility may change with little warning, and there are fewer places to divert if conditions deteriorate.
That makes weather information especially valuable before an aircraft reaches hazardous conditions. Instead of simply showing where precipitation exists, modern weather radar helps pilots better understand what lies ahead. In turn, they can decide whether to continue or avoid an area altogether.
Honeywell's IntuVue RDR-7000 is designed to provide that broader picture by continuously scanning the atmosphere and building a three-dimensional view of weather along the aircraft's flight path.
Modern radar looks beyond the nearest storm
Traditional weather radar primarily identifies precipitation ahead of the aircraft. Honeywell said the RDR-7000 processes additional information, allowing pilots to distinguish between overlapping weather systems, so pilots can see hazardous conditions that may be hidden behind a closer storm.
The company also said the radar can identify hazards such as turbulence, hail, lightning, and wind shear while scanning as far as 320 nautical miles under favorable conditions.
The radar operates automatically, minimizing the need for pilots to continually adjust settings during flight. That lets crews spend more time monitoring the aircraft and surrounding conditions instead of managing the radar itself.
Honeywell also designed the system to receive software updates remotely, allowing operators to add new capabilities without taking aircraft out of service for extended periods.
