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How accurate are plane radars?

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.



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Text: Air traffic controllers have multiple radar systems in place to track flights over land and sea, so when a plane disappears from radar, it's usually a sign that it's lost power, switched off its transmitters or dropped below cruising altitude.

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Flightradar24 is a global flight tracking service that provides you with real-time information about thousands of aircraft around the world.

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Some high profile aircraft, such as Air Force One are not displayed. Most other aircraft subject to restriction are shown as anonymized by aircraft type.

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While pilots can't actually see turbulence, they often know what is coming up, thanks to reports from other planes, weather reports, and radar equipment. However, clear air turbulence (severe turbulence occurring in cloudless areas) can sometimes catch pilots off guard.

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While pilots can't actually see turbulence, they often know what is coming up, thanks to reports from other planes, weather reports, and radar equipment. However, clear air turbulence (severe turbulence occurring in cloudless areas) can sometimes catch pilots off guard.

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You might not even know that we have “slowed” down. Aircraft are fully designed to fly in turbulence. We have turbulence “levels” for our cabin crew as well. You might even hear a PA that commands flight attendants to take an immediate seat.

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Pilots will mostly set the speed they want. In cruise, the planes tend to be further apart, and speed is less critical. Different planes fly at different speeds, and ATC usually uses altitude and heading as the primary means to separate them.

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LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT CANNOT BE DETECTED BY STANDARD RADAR BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE FROM CLUTTER. LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT CANNOT BE DETECTED BY STANDARD RADAR BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE FROM CLUTTER.

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