You may be wondering what are some possible weather hazards when flying in the open air? First, we will assess the typical dangers that all pilots must account for, starting with Cloud coverage and how IFR and VFR pilots must be prepared for their risks. Then we will explain wind hazards that can cause turbulence and affect the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Lastly, we will speak on frontal dangers that can cause icing and other effects on the plane's infrastructure. 

Clouds

          First, it is essential to classify and differentiate the two types of pilots and their training. First, VFR (Visual Flight Rules) pilots are pilots that can fly primarily relying on their own eyes to navigate to their destination using landmarks below. Contrary to IFR (Instrument Flight Rule), pilots can navigate through the lack of visibility caused by clouds and other weather factors limiting visibility. IFR pilots are trained to avoid dangers as they approach but can handle them if they arise. In contrast, a VFR pilot must have a clear horizontal and vertical visibility to predict and adapt to problems while avoiding factors that limit visibility at all times. Clouds pose a potential hazard for both IFR and VFR pilots for different reasons. Convective clouds or cumuliform clouds, as pictured below, pose a risk to both IFR and especially VFR pilots because they can cause intense and vicious updrafts, which can cause a pilot to lose control of their aircraft. These clouds can cause turbulence, from the strongest ones, cumulus congestus, to medium and smaller cumulus clouds, which are still able to rock the aircraft and limit visibility. Extra-large cumuliform clouds, called cumulonimbus clouds, are thunderstorm clouds and must be avoided at all costs. Pilots must also watch out for Stratiform clouds because, if cold enough, they can cause icing on the edges of an aircraft. For both instances, pilots must be trained with IFR. It is also worth mentioning that when flying in a cluster of clouds, VFR pilots cannot determine if the plane is right side up and can lose control of the steering wheel. These are just a few examples and common hazards that a pilot must consider, despite being trained with IFR. Clouds may look like fluffy cotton balls but do not underestimate the sheer force they hold. So make sure to research where you are heading and overestimate the weather conditions to prepare yourself better for flying.

(Photo taken from Learnweather.com)

Wind Shear 

          When accounting for possible wind hazards, pilots must familiarize themselves with three common wind types, headwind, wind going against aircraft, tailwind, the wind coming from behind aircraft, and crosswind, wind from the left or right side of aircraft. All three have benefits for pilots, with headwind aiding with plane takeoff and tailwind helping during the flight, allowing the aircraft to move faster. Yet tailwind is called negative headwind since it requires more runway to land and take off. After familiarizing ourselves with the primary possible wind hazards, we must concern ourselves with turbulence and wind shear. Wind shear is the increase or decrease of wind speed and direction when the aircraft begins to climb altitude. Wind shears can occur anytime and pose an immediate threat to pilots. It can also cause violent turbulence when near the ground at airports, making it harder for a safe landing. More specifically, downbursts and microbursts, which are smaller and shorter, are the rapid downdrafts that cause the plane to lose height and possibly plummet to the ground. Pilots must predict wind shear and adapt accordingly by either arriving faster to the destination or holding in a safe area of the sky. Lastly, Pilots must account for turbulence, a common issue when travelling. Turbulence ranges from light to extreme intensities, with light turbulence only making it difficult to walk inside the aircraft and a soft strain against your seatbelts. Severe turbulence viciously tosses the aircraft making it impossible to control and possibly causing structural damage to the plane while also prohibiting walking. Yet most turbulence is felt as if a driver comes to a halting stop at a traffic light, and there is a slight lean against the seatbelt from the passenger.

(Photo was taken from SKYbrary, quick illustration of the different effects of headwind)

Icing and Frontal Hazards 

          At temperatures between 0° and -40° degrees, it can cause supercooled droplets in liquid water clouds to remain liquid until touching something solid, causing them to freeze instantly. Ice can begin to form on the aircraft when flying in that 0° to -40° degree range, and when it starts to form on wings, it can disrupt the airflow and decrease the upward force that keeps the aircraft up. Icing can also form on the propellers, increasing drag, decreasing their thrust forward, and adding weight to the overall aircraft. Yet most commercial airlines have anti-icing equipment, where de-icing equipment removes ice already formed, and anti-icing prevents ice from forming. Yet less expensive aircraft that don't have anti-icing equipment must either fly out of the cloud or climb to a warmer altitude, but this can be risky as it is not guaranteed there will be warmer air above. Yet icing occurs when the aircraft meets a warm front. Therefore it is essential to know the different frontal hazards like Cold and Warm Front. A front is a border between warmer and cooler air. A cold front is where cold air persists, and a warm front is when cold air draws back. Strong winds, like wind shear and heavy precipitation, correlate with cold fronts and can occur anytime. In the most severe cases, thunderstorms can happen and hide within cold and occluded fronts. Occluded fronts result from a cold front combining with a warm front and can bring about thunderstorms. Since thunderstorms and icing are heavily connected with warm, cold and occluded fronts, pilots must assess local weather maps and forecasts before taking off. To help with the assessment, I provided a Go/no-go checklist that I believe will be very helpful when determining if it is safe to fly. 

(Photo taken by Air Facts Journal)