Simple atmospheric LIDAR systems do not have the means of guidance and directed vertically towards the zenith.
To scan the horizon in the same plane used simple scanning head. They fixed transmitter and receiver are also aimed at the zenith, 45 ° angle to the horizon and the emission line installed mirror, rotating around the axis of radiation. The air units, which must scan the strip perpendicular to the direction of flight, aircraft carrier, the axis of radiation - horizontal. To synchronize the motor that rotates the mirror, and means of processing the received signal using the exact rotor position sensors, as well as fixed Benchmark risks, applied to the transparent cover scanning head.
Scanning in two planes adds to this scheme, a mechanism that rotates the mirror at a fixed angle with each turn heads - both formed cylindrical scan the surrounding world. With sufficient computing power can be used rigidly fixed mirror and the beam diverging rays - in this design one "frame" is formed in one revolution of the head.