In combat, many aircraft will operate at altitudes as low as 100 feet and at high airspeeds to defeat ground missile radars and avoid sophisticated surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and enemy fighters.
Airport surveillance radar systems are capable of reliably detecting and tracking aircraft at altitudes below 25,000 feet (7,620 metres) and within 40 to 60 nautical miles (75 to 110 km) of their airport. Systems of this type have been installed at more than 100 major airports throughout the United States.
Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology.
An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
Terrain following radar is primarily used by military strike aircraft, to enable flight at very low altitudes (sometimes below 100 feet/30 metres) and high speeds.
Low altitude means any elevation equal to or less than 1,219 meters (4,000 feet).
The range of a radar can be increased by simply installing the antenna higher and in the same way, the higher the altitude of an object, the farther it can be detected.
That's why most powered aircraft stay at a certain altitude with the ideal atmospheric conditions for flight: less turbulence, more safety, and just the right amount of oxygen. That minimum altitude is 10,000 meters.
Why are the airplanes flying so low over my house? Aircraft are limited in the direction they fly because they must land into the wind. Therefore, the flexibility of air traffic is dependant on the wind patterns of the day or, even, the hour, as winds can change rapidly.
While jet engines operate well at high altitudes, the same is not true of piston engines, which are typically used for light aircraft of the type flown by most private pilots. Piston engines do not operate well in thin air, and this is one of the reasons why most small planes fly at altitudes of below 15,000 feet.
Radars work in the microwave frequency range, which can be absorbed by multi-wall nanotubes (MWNTs). Applying the MWNTs to the aircraft would cause the radar to be absorbed and therefore seem to have a smaller radar cross-section. One such application could be to paint the nanotubes onto the plane.
The entire plane has no sharp, angled edges -- every surface is curved in order to deflect radio waves. The curves are designed to bounce almost all radio waves away at an angle. The B-2 is designed to contain its own radio signals, the electromagnetic energy generated by onboard electronics.
North American radar data in most cases does not include general aviation flights without a flight plan. Radar data is often missing aircraft registration information and aircraft tracked with MLAT in many cases are missing the callsign information.
Radar altimeters generally only give readings up to 2,500 feet (760 m) above ground level (AGL). Frequently, the weather radar can be directed downwards to give a reading from a longer range, up to 60,000 feet (18,000 m) above ground level (AGL).
The maximum range of the Radar for given specifications is 128km. The minimum range is defined by the pulse width. The time for the radar pulse to travel from the radar to a target 1 mile. Radar range is increased by the peak power.
Height Distance
The radar's horizontal beamwidth should be above head height. The minimum recommended height is 8' feet above the deck and no higher than 30' feet above the water to avoid missing close targets.
If further information is required, please write: Community and Consumer Liaison Division, APA- 200, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C. 20591. During regular duty hours (7:30 a.m. - 4:0O p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday), telephone (202) 267-3481.
The higher you fly, the more efficient it is
The reason planes cruise at high altitudes is that they burn less fuel and can fly faster, as the air is less dense. At 30,000 feet and higher, it is also possible for aircraft to avoid weather systems, making it more comfortable onboard.
According to the survey, which was carried out by researchers in Poland, living under a flight path could increase a person's chances of suffering a heart attack. They found that flight noise is also linked to high blood pressure, hypertension and an altered heart structure.
Most flights are intended to spend as little time as possible over water, since storms are more common over the ocean than on land. An aircraft would not be safe to fly over the Pacific Ocean due to the stormy weather and frequent lightning strikes that occur there.
The Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 91.119 indicates that, except when necessary for departure or landing, the minimum altitude over urban areas is 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL) and 500 feet AGL over rural areas.
If the airplane can be kept in a hangar prior to flight, it can operate in very, very cold conditions. Airplanes fly in minus 56 celsius (-69 degrees Fahrenheit) or colder conditions at altitude, therefore if the fluids can be kept warm, the airplane can usually operate.
Radar waves are usually thought of as being reflected from the surface of the ground. However, at the lower frequencies (below several hundred megahertz), radar energy can penetrate into the ground and be reflected from buried objects.
This permits target detection at distances from about 500 to 2,000 nautical miles (900 to 3,700 km). Thus, an HF over-the-horizon (OTH) radar can detect aircraft at distances up to 10 times that of a ground-based microwave air-surveillance radar, whose range is limited by the curvature of the Earth.
Wood and cloth (such as portions of airplanes and balloons used to be commonly made) or plastic and fibreglass are less reflective or indeed transparent to radar making them suitable for radomes. Even a very thin layer of metal can make an object strongly radar reflective.