Two of the main dangers posed by thunderstorms to aircraft are being hit by lightening and windsheer. Windsheer, caused by the change in vertical or horizontal drafts around the plane, is a big concern for pilots because it can cause loss of “lift” (which keeps the plane in the air). One famous crash – depicted […]
Weather
All flying occurs in the atmosphere, so flying and weather are necessarily linked. To pilots and to aviation operations, weather is not only academic, but is importantly practical as it impacts every aspect of flight—even when the weather conditions are “perfect.”
Aspects of weather that impact flight include precipitation (rain, snow, hail, sleet and icing), wind, barometric pressure, warm, cold and stationary weather fronts, thunderstorms, tornados and hurricanes, night, clouds, fog and turbulence. The history of aircraft development has been heavily influenced by weather phenomena, as designers are constantly striving to overcome, or minimize, the influence of these phenomena on aircraft operations.
