Radar to shut down at Kolkata for repairs from 30 April

Kolkata: The radar at NSC Bose airport will be shut down from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for eight days from 30 April to 7 May.
Some of the slots of the radar's antenna need to be repaired. The repair work will start from 30 April and will be completed by 7 May. Airports Authority of India (National Airports Division) officials have issued a notice to airman to communicate the message to the pilots.
The radar was showing ghost images on the radar screen because of the defective antenna service occasionally for the past three years. Split images sometimes gave the impression of two aircraft coming from different directions while there was only one aircraft flying. It became difficult for the Air Traffic Control officers to identify which one was the correct image. They had to use their experience in monitoring flights in such situations because any mistake in giving a pilot directions could be fatal. Therefore repairing the defective antenna became imperative. The matter was taken up by the AAI (NAD) officials who contacted their counterparts of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) who handle the radar and its components.
25/04/08 The Statesman

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Categories: Airports Apr 2008