Airport expands lightning detection system
Posted Jul 19, 2012 12:02 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Calgary International airport has added a third sensor to it’s severe weather monitoring system.
The move follows the expansion of airport operations and has nothing to do with thunderstorms in June, which grounded flights producing dozens of cancellations.
Alan Lawn who is the director of operations at YYC says the sensors track both lightning strikes and the build up of static electricity.
Lawn says they can track developing storms as far away at 20 kilometres.
He says the summer of 2012 has been rather unusual, with storms lingering a little longer than usual.
WestJet pilot John Mulder says the information is vital to their operations, providing safety to both the travelling public and crews on the tarmac.
Airport spokesperson Jody Moseley says the suspension of airport operations during severe weather is nothing new, but in this twitter age we’re hearing about them more often with stranded travellers sharing their stories via cyberspace.
More sensors will be added as airport operations grow, which will happen when the new north/south runway which is under construction is complete.
