Method and a device for assisting piloting in order to detect and signal local weather risks associated with the relief of the terrain overflown by an aircraft

A piloting assistance device for an aircraft to detect and signal local weather risks associated with an overflown terrain, the overflown terrain subdivided in a geo-referenced grid with a plurality of individual meshes, the piloting assistance device comprising:

• a terrain database configured to store a plurality of kinds of geographical data providing each mesh with an altitude of the terrain and providing at least one mesh with a nature of the terrain and a risk database configured to store at least one local weather risk for at least one mesh, each weather risk representing a local weather phenomenon that might occur as a function of geographical data of the corresponding mesh;
• a computer in communication with the terrain database and the risk database, the computer configured to acquire meteorological data relating to current and/or forecast weather conditions for at least one mesh from a meteorological data source to determine a value of at least one “combined” parameter for at least one mesh, the combined parameter representing a potential modification of the weather conditions due to the terrain, wherein to determine each value of a combined parameter the computer is further configured to apply a logic function giving the value of the combined parameter for a mesh as a function of the geographical data, the weather risks, and the meteorological data associated with the mesh;
• the computer further configured to detect while the aircraft is in flight the presence of a potential local weather danger at least around the aircraft as a function of the values of the combined parameters;
• and
• a signaling system in communication with the computer, the signaling system configured to display information relating to a local weather danger detected by the computer.

A piloting assistance method for detecting and signaling local weather risks associated with a terrain overflown by an aircraft, the overflown terrain subdivided into a geo-referenced grid with a plurality of individual meshes, the method comprising:

• storing in an onboard terrain database a plurality of kinds of geographical data providing each mesh with an altitude of the terrain and providing at least one mesh with a nature of the terrain;
• storing in an onboard risk database at least one local weather risk for at least one mesh, each weather risk representing a local weather phenomenon that might occur as a function of geographical data of the corresponding mesh;
• acquiring, by an onboard computer in communication with the terrain database and the risk database, meteorological data relating to current and/or forecasted weather conditions for at least one mesh;
• after acquiring the meteorological data, determining by the computer a value of at least one “combined” parameter for at least one mesh, the combined parameter representing a potential modification of the weather conditions due to the terrain, each value of a combined parameter for a mesh determined by applying a logic function giving the value of the combined parameter for the mesh as a function of the geographical data, the weather risk, and the meteorological data associated with the mesh;
• detecting by the computer a presence of a potential local weather danger at least around the aircraft as a function of the values of the combined parameters;
• and
• displaying information relating to a local weather danger detected by the computer.