RED ALERT @ YYZ

[slashd0t]

Heard this @ 9:29MST on the YYZ feed that there was a Red Alert.  Anyone know what this is?  I'm assuming it's some type of possible security breach.

[JetScan1]

Heard this @ 9:29MST on the YYZ feed that there was a Red Alert. Anyone know what this is?

It means lightning has been detected on or near the vicinity of the airport. When a Red Alert is issued it means they want all the ramp/ground workers to stay inside the terminals.

DJ

[KSYR-pjr]

It means lightning has been detected on or near the vicinity of the airport. When a Red Alert is issued it means they want all the ramp/ground workers to stay inside the terminals.

Interesting.  I have never heard this type of alert on any US frequency.   The closest weather related alert I have been hearing these thunderstorm-filled days is "Microburst alert, minus 35 knots detected one mile off the departure end of runway XX."

In fact, the other day I heard one humorous (to me, anyhow) sequence where inside of one minute three of these microburst alerts were given to an aircraft awaiting departure, and the pilot of the aircraft finally responded in a dead-pan voice, "Uh, we are just going to wait here until you stop giving alerts like those."   It was the tone of the pilot's response that I had found humorous.

Of course, the actual recording is better than my recollection above.  

[JetScan1]

I have never heard this type of alert on any US frequency.

It's called the Thor Guard lightning prediction/detection system and is common at the larger Canadian airports. It's designed to warn the ramp/ground workers and doesn't directly apply to aircraft operations, but if there is no one to guide you into the gate or load/unload your aircraft, you're not going very far. I'm not sure if any US airports are using this system or not yet ?

http://www.thorguard.com

DJ

[Jason]

It means lightning has been detected on or near the vicinity of the airport. When a Red Alert is issued it means they want all the ramp/ground workers to stay inside the terminals.

Interesting.  I have never heard this type of alert on any US frequency.   The closest weather related alert I have been hearing these thunderstorm-filled days is "Microburst alert, minus 35 knots detected one mile off the departure end of runway XX."

In fact, the other day I heard one humorous (to me, anyhow) sequence where inside of one minute three of these microburst alerts were given to an aircraft awaiting departure, and the pilot of the aircraft finally responded in a dead-pan voice, "Uh, we are just going to wait here until you stop giving alerts like those."   It was the tone of the pilot's response that I had found humorous.

Of course, the actual recording is better than my recollection above.  

A lot of the Tower's here in the US are equiped with WindShear alert devices in the cab.  It displays all the runways in use and any wind shear associated with them.  HPN, PHL, and I believe JFK and LGA now have the equiptment as well as many others around the nation....GPWS and EGPWS installed in many aircraft for terrain advisories also have WindShear alerting.  EGPWS has it and certain Mark versions of GPWS have them (I believe the Mark V has it.

The ground crews in the US can see lightning too    Maybe it's an additional level of protection in Canada when gates are partially-closed-in and lightning strikes are not visible.