Weatherhill airport program · Published 14 October 2026 · Source-linked research, prepared with AI assistance. No airport trial results are reported.
A real event shows the scale of exposure
After the August 5, 2024 Calgary hailstorm, WestJet reported significant damage to 16 aircraft, approximately 10% of its fleet capacity. Four of 22 company aircraft on the ground had been moved into a hangar. The airline later described repairs taking several weeks and cancellations averaging around 50 flights a day at that point.
This is an exposure and recovery case study, not proof that any particular warning product could have prevented the damage. It shows why the value of protection depends on available actions as well as information.
Map what can actually be protected
The proposed study identifies aircraft parking positions, hangar space, doors and access constraints, tow resources, equipment storage and the people responsible for each action. The output is a time-based exposure map rather than a list of assets with no practical response attached.
For each potential action, the customer would establish who can authorize it, how long it takes and which conditions make it unavailable. This reveals whether the priority is better information, a different staging plan, additional shelter, equipment readiness or a combination of investments.
The map should distinguish normal availability from capacity that disappears during maintenance, congestion or competing operational demands at the same site.
Connect warning information to a workable plan
Hail detection and forecasting are established research and commercial fields. A Weatherhill assessment would first review the customer's current sources, alert workflow and record of previous events. Adding another alert is useful only if it improves a decision the organization can execute.
The proposed workflow records when information arrived, when a decision was made and when protection was completed. Exercises can identify handoff problems before a storm. Customer-approved procedures and qualified operational staff would determine the actions; the assessment would document and test the process.
Treat recovery as part of the investment case
Repair bills are only one component of hail exposure. The study should distinguish aircraft maintenance, replacement lift, disrupted schedules, staff time and airport facility damage, using customer records and avoiding double counting. Different organizations bear these costs and may have different reasons to fund protection.
Recovery also depends on the applicable inspection and maintenance process. Airbus notes that composite impact damage can be difficult to identify from external appearance. A weather record or camera image can support incident documentation; it cannot certify that an aircraft is ready to return to service.
A practical first engagement
Weatherhill's proposed hail-readiness module produces an exposure inventory, a response timeline, a gap analysis and a shortlist of options for further engineering or procurement. Each option should state its owner, implementation dependencies and the evidence needed to justify spending.
We are seeking airport, airline, FBO and maintenance partners interested in that disciplined assessment. We are not presenting a hail-suppression system. The near-term opportunity is to make protection and recovery decisions more concrete, while keeping any speculative weather-modification concepts separate from an actionable preparedness plan.
Questions from airport teams
Does Weatherhill offer hail suppression?
No demonstrated hail-suppression capability is being offered. This program focuses on aircraft and asset exposure, practical protection planning and an evidence-based investment case.
Would an earlier warning always prevent aircraft damage?
No. Shelter capacity, tow availability, personnel safety, authorization and storm development can limit what is possible. The study makes those constraints explicit.
Who should participate in a hail-readiness study?
The relevant airport operations, airline or FBO, maintenance, engineering and risk teams should be represented, with ownership of costs and decisions agreed at the start.
Sources & further reading
- WestJet service update — August 8, 2024 ↗WestJet · Airline account of aircraft damage and protective actions during the August 5, 2024 Calgary hailstorm.
- WestJet works diligently to safely return 16 aircraft to service in wake of Calgary hailstorm ↗WestJet · Airline account of repair duration and network disruption after the 2024 hailstorm.
- NSSL Research: Hail ↗NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory · Hail detection, radar interpretation, microphysics and verification research.
- Bird or Hail Strikes on the Radome ↗Airbus Safety First · Manufacturer explanation of potentially hidden damage and the importance of applicable maintenance inspections.