9.2 weather conditions: thunderstorms
Thunderstorms... they're loud, frightening, can become life-threatening, and may even produce a ton of rain. But for pilots, this weather condition poses the greatest overall risk. As most commercial aircraft are designed to take a strike from lightning and continue to fly, most general aviation aircraft would otherwise be destroyed mid-air by a strike of lightning.
HOW ARE THUNDERSTORMS CREATED?
Thunderstorms are created when convection exists in the atmosphere. Convection happens when three conditions in the atmosphere exist, moisture, lift, and instability.
WHY ARE THEY SO DANGEROUS TO PILOTS?
4 different factors create a dangerous environment for pilots to fly in:
- Lightning: can strike an aircraft mid-flight can cause serious damage which could cause a fatal crash.
- turbulence: can cause downward drafts up to 6000 feet or greater and can cause a pilot to lose enough altitude to get in a crash.
- wind shear: extreme changes in wind speed and direction. This can throw an aircraft well off course and can cause aircraft to strike each in formation flight.
- icing: form on the aircraft when the air traveling over the aircraft is below freezing and there is moisture present. It does not have to be below freezing for ice to form. Ice can break off the surface and strike flight control, engine, propeller, landing gear, etc. and cause life-threatening damage.
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