TRACKING FLIGHT PROGRESS WITH RADAR
Air traffic controllers use radar to track the progress of flights. This data can be used to inform any potential course corrections needed to keep aircraft separated or to help pilots avoid adverse weather conditions.
Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) is a surveillance system that uses groundbased antennae to send radio waves towards aircraft. These are reflected back to the antennae, and the time difference can be used to determine a plane’s distance and bearing.
Air traffic control also has another form of radar called Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR). This allows for the more precise position reporting of aircraft by identifying specific craft’s transponders. Because it relies on land-based antennae, radar switches to other location-tracking methods over oceans.