Hi folks,
The Europa is certainly invisible on some radar systems.
A couple of years ago I flew from Hamburg down to my home base and had
to pass over Bremen and Munster at FL 65. It is compulsory to use mode C
above 5000ft in Germany and I took up contact with Bremen radar when
near their busy airspace D.
They could not see me and requested every minute a position report
(there was a cable loose on the transponder). They asked me to get my
transponder fixed!!
A little later I had to fly over Munster and although they received no
transponder signal they were getting a primary signal.
So don't bank on not being seen!!
Barry Tennant
Rob Housman schrieb:
>
> I know from watching a motorcycle cop look quizzically at his radar gun as I
> drove by (over the posted limit) that my plastic Lotus Elan likewise was
> "invisible" to radar. Of course police radar devices are toys compared to
> the stuff that paints our aircraft in flight so this doesn't imply that
> composite aircraft (sans transponder) are invisible or even stealthy.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rob Housman
> A070
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-europa@post.aviators.net
> Subject: RE: Off Topic: The "Evils" of homebuilding
>
> [Getting even more off-topic] The test was repeated for a later model of
> Corvette, and the car WAS found to be much less visible than others. Some
> investigation revealed two changes. First, the headlights were the pop-up
> type, and it turns out the parabolic headlight reflectors are very efficient
> radar reflectors, so tipping them down reduces cross-section. Secondly, the
> radiator in the Corvette was tilted away from the vertical, in an effort to
> reduce hood height. IIRC it was tilted back at the top by about 15 degrees.
> This made a dandy reflector for radar, but beamed it upwards above the
> transmitting cruiser.
>
> Cheers,
> David
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Cc: europa@avnet.co.uk
> > Subject: Re: Off Topic: The "Evils" of homebuilding
> >
> >
> > Years ago there was an article in a car magazine about the
> > radar cross section of
> > the Corvette, a fiber glass car. Instead of being less
> > visible to police radar, the
> > car was found more visible than a conventional, metal bodied
> > car. The moving fan
> > blades and angular shapes of the radiator and engine created
> > a bigger return than
> > the smooth body of the metal car.
> > One has to wonder who this so called expert was that CBS quoted.
> >
> > Terry Seaver
>
> Name: winmail.dat
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