Patent ID: 7242343

Claim:
A weather radar system on board an aircraft, the weather radar system comprising: a transmitter for generating radar pulses in a predetermined pulse pattern in a first mode; an antenna system for radiating the radar pulses and scanning over a volume in front of the aircraft in a hazard detection mode and for receiving return pulses from a weather pattern; a receiver for receiving the return pulses reflected from the weather pattern; a processor for determining a region of reflectivity in the weather pattern associated with the return pulses received by the receiver in the first mode, wherein said processor automatically changes the weather radar system to an assessment mode to determine presence of a detectable hazard after detecting the region of reflectivity, wherein the weather radar system uses a different pulse pattern or scan pattern in the assessment mode from the pulse pattern or scan pattern used in the first mode; and a display connected to the processor and for displaying the weather pattern.