Improved Radar Units Placed On Mica Peak

As part of a $12 million nationwide upgrade, the Federal Aviation Administration has started using improved radar equipment installed on Mica Peak near Spokane on July 1.

The new radar is more reliable, easier to maintain and has a greater range, said Mitch Barker, FAA spokesman in Renton.

The old radar could monitor flights 200 miles from Spokane. The new system reaches 250 miles.

Information from the radar will be fed to the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center in Auburn. One of 20 such centers in the United States, the facility monitors flights between cities. When a jet is within seven miles of Spokane International Airport, it switches to local air traffic controllers.

The new radar will also be used by the Air Force to monitor craft entering U.S. airspace and military training missions, Barker said.

, DataTimes