Flight Training - March 2011 - 40

WEATHER

By Jack Williams
SINCE 1995, the number of major civil aircraft accidents caused by wind shear has dropped to approximately one in every 10 years.

WHAT YOU DON'T SEE AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

A CLEARER VIEW OF INVISIBLE WINDS

W

ind is hard to visualize—unless it is blowing around rain, snow, or dust. Yet, being able to visualize the wind is a handy skill for a pilot. Probably the best way to create a mental picture of what the wind is doing is to imagine what water would be doing in a similar case. You could
If you plan to fly near mountains, keep in mind that wind blowing through a mountain pass will accelerate and grow turbulent. You can feel what this is like in complete comfort by settling into a Jacuzzi, turning on the water jets, and enjoying the turbulence—soothing in a Jacuzzi, but not in an airplane.
UP, UP, AND AWAY WITH THE WIND. In general, as you go aloft the wind speed increases and the direction changes. The table, on the next page, based on measurements of wind speeds and directions from a weather balloon, is typical. This case also illustrates how the wind generally changes direction to the right, or clockwise, and the speed increases with altitude.

think of a brisk wind blowing over and around trees, buildings, and other obstacles at an airport as something like water rushing down a whitewater stream and washing over and around the rocks in the stream. The waves and swirls that the water makes as it hits rocks and squeezes through narrow openings between boulders create turbulence that’s easy to see. As you think of water as being like wind, remember that a cubic foot of fresh water weighs approximately 62 pounds per cubic foot. At sea level, a cubic foot of air weighs approximately 0.07 pounds, and it becomes even lighter at higher altitudes. Any particular force that’s acting on the air will accelerate the air much more than it would water. The wind can give an airplane a bumpier ride than water gives a raft shooting white-water rapids.

40 /

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Flight Training - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - March 2011

Flight Training - March 2011
Contents
President’s Perspective
Right Seat
Flight Forum
Going Places?
This Weekend
Tech Tip
Success Story
Air Safety Institute
Since You Asked
Final Exam
Legal Q & A
Flying Carpet
Insights
Checkride
The Flight Training Experience: Making It Work
Where Do You Stand?
Is This Flightopia?
The 12-Step Lesson Plan
Weather
Flight Lesson
Who Will Fly?
Career Advisor
Career Pilot News
Can a CFI Use Pizza in the Cockpit?
Flight Instructor Burnout
By the Numbers
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - March 2011 - Flight Training - March 2011
Flight Training - March 2011 - Cover2
Flight Training - March 2011 - Contents
Flight Training - March 2011 - 2
Flight Training - March 2011 - 3
Flight Training - March 2011 - President’s Perspective
Flight Training - March 2011 - 5
Flight Training - March 2011 - Right Seat
Flight Training - March 2011 - 7
Flight Training - March 2011 - Flight Forum
Flight Training - March 2011 - 9
Flight Training - March 2011 - Going Places?
Flight Training - March 2011 - 11
Flight Training - March 2011 - This Weekend
Flight Training - March 2011 - Tech Tip
Flight Training - March 2011 - Success Story
Flight Training - March 2011 - Air Safety Institute
Flight Training - March 2011 - Since You Asked
Flight Training - March 2011 - 17
Flight Training - March 2011 - Final Exam
Flight Training - March 2011 - Legal Q & A
Flight Training - March 2011 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - March 2011 - 21
Flight Training - March 2011 - Insights
Flight Training - March 2011 - Checkride
Flight Training - March 2011 - The Flight Training Experience: Making It Work
Flight Training - March 2011 - 25
Flight Training - March 2011 - 26
Flight Training - March 2011 - 27
Flight Training - March 2011 - 28
Flight Training - March 2011 - 29
Flight Training - March 2011 - Where Do You Stand?
Flight Training - March 2011 - 31
Flight Training - March 2011 - Is This Flightopia?
Flight Training - March 2011 - 33
Flight Training - March 2011 - 34
Flight Training - March 2011 - 35
Flight Training - March 2011 - The 12-Step Lesson Plan
Flight Training - March 2011 - 37
Flight Training - March 2011 - 38
Flight Training - March 2011 - 39
Flight Training - March 2011 - Weather
Flight Training - March 2011 - 41
Flight Training - March 2011 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - March 2011 - Who Will Fly?
Flight Training - March 2011 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - March 2011 - 45
Flight Training - March 2011 - Career Pilot News
Flight Training - March 2011 - Can a CFI Use Pizza in the Cockpit?
Flight Training - March 2011 - Flight Instructor Burnout
Flight Training - March 2011 - By the Numbers
Flight Training - March 2011 - 50
Flight Training - March 2011 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - March 2011 - 52
Flight Training - March 2011 - 53
Flight Training - March 2011 - 54
Flight Training - March 2011 - 55
Flight Training - March 2011 - 56
Flight Training - March 2011 - 57
Flight Training - March 2011 - 58
Flight Training - March 2011 - 59
Flight Training - March 2011 - 60
Flight Training - March 2011 - 61
Flight Training - March 2011 - 62
Flight Training - March 2011 - 63
Flight Training - March 2011 - Debrief
Flight Training - March 2011 - Cover3
Flight Training - March 2011 - Cover4
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