Hazards for flight

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Weather-hazard information
1. Turbulence intensity.
Although turbulence is not considered as a significant hazard for flying there are some exceptional intense turbulence
Violent turbulence: A look at what causes shakes mid-flight | CBC News
Image from : https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/turbulence-air-travel-1.3385566

Severe turbulence, which is a abrupt changes in altitude, can cause out of control of aviation and discomfort as walking is prohibited by severe changes in the plane’s motion. Although, there has been considerable low number of cases of severe/extreme turbulence, personally, I am most concerned about “turbulence” in regards to weather-hazard. As soon as I feel plane starts shaking, I panic and shiver. This sense of fear induced from inconvenience are a great barrier for me although I realize there are very few accidents that are caused by turbulence. However, it is still, one of the biggest hazards for “me” during flights.
In most of cases, severe turbulence may be avoided by referring to turbulence map. However, light-moderate turbulence is unavoidable because it would be very inefficient to plan flight routes to avoid any turbulence at all. Therefore, commercial pilots tend to notify their passengers before and during the flight.

2. Thunderstorms.
-Strong updrafts and downdrafts .

Thunderstorm Cumulonimbus Clouds - License, download or print for £14.88 |  Photos | Picfair

Image of a Thunderstorm & development of cumulonimbus cloud https://www.picfair.com/pics/09645778-thunderstorm-cumulonimbus-clouds

Thunderstone(convective cloud):  As we learned, thunderstorms can develop when a large layer of warm air rises to cool region of the atmosphere. During this process, updraft of moist air condenses forming cumulonimbus clouds and precipitation. Strong updraft and downdraft, which are upward moving air and downward moving air respectively, may dislocate your aircraft away from your altitude. For example, downdraft speeds may be as fast as 90 km/hr which this violent turbulence can be a hazard to aircraft pushing the aircraft towards the ground and detrimentally affecting the flight during land/takeoff processes.

There are more hazards associated with thunderstorms.

-Hail: can fall from severe thunderstorm– dangerous to aircraft. Can damage the windscreen of aircraft
-Heavy rain: reduced visibility (VFR specifically)

(Safety Recommendations for Flight near Thunderstorms)

All aviation authorities require that you do NOT fly through thunderstorms. The US and Canada recommend that pilots stay at least 20 nautical miles away from thunderstorms.)
To avoid thunderstorm, it is important to keep track of live weather-map to determine flight condition and eligibility.

3.ICE.
a. Accumulation on wings can disturb the airflow, decreasing the lift.
b. adds weight on aircraft, increasing the weight of plane
c. disturbs visual sight on the window screen blockage of pitot tube causing instrumental error of speed measurement
e. can reduce thrust if it forms on turbine blades (for some engines)
f. increases the drag force due to friction.

Discoveries on Ice - Flight Safety Foundation

Ice accumulation on a plane https://flightsafety.org/asw-article/discoveries-on-ice/

How to prevent Icing on aircraft?
1. Fly at an altitude where the temperature is lower than -40C.
2. Installation of electric heater as an anti-icing tool. (This is typical for large aircraft, but not small aircraft)
3. Carry anti-freeze chemical that can be used on propellors/windscreen to remove or prevent ice.
4. Use carburator heat, a control on the aircraft, to release warm air from the hot engine to prevent ice accumulation on the engine.
5. In case your aircraft is not suitable or you forgot to bring de-icing tools, fly out of cloud. If you are in a cloud, then try to escape out of it quickly.  

 

 

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