Microburst danger
As an aviator we are taught from the beginning that take off and landings are the most dangerous part of flying. Our assignment this week was to describe and explain what we thought to be the most dangerous aspect of weather. In my eyes clouds and icing are very high on the totem pole but microburst wind shear is my clear winner. When going through ground school in my military training there was a chinook pilot that would harp on wind shear and that mad a lasting impression. What is a microburst. Well using the Pilots Handbook they are a silent danger lasting only around 15 minutes. Often undetected on a day of seemingly good conditions there could be a sudden change in wind direction or a severe down draft that could drop you 1000 feet per minute. Imagine
Taking off with a head wind and halfway down the runway you run into a microburst causing the wind and pressures to change. Now your 800’ take off distance has turned into 1500’ takeoff. Even worse you could be landing and hit a microburst and cause a drastic loss in altitude making the aircraft crash right on the runway. There are many factors than can be involved in creating a shear of this magnitude. Natural weather factors such as temperature, rain, and wind are all players in the shear game. Even buildings near the runways can be factors in wind shear. If a strong wind is blowing from the east and there are buildings between the wind and runway, just the smallest alley between them can create a wind tunnel that could make a difficult time for pilots on the runway.
Luckily we have warning systems that can help alert of these treacherous microburst. The LL WAS-NE and TDWR are two of these systems that are used at airports. Although they might give a false alert once in a while, it is better to be prepared for a wind shear and it not be there than to be ill prepared and a wind shear surprise you.
Taking off with a head wind and halfway down the runway you run into a microburst causing the wind and pressures to change. Now your 800’ take off distance has turned into 1500’ takeoff. Even worse you could be landing and hit a microburst and cause a drastic loss in altitude making the aircraft crash right on the runway. There are many factors than can be involved in creating a shear of this magnitude. Natural weather factors such as temperature, rain, and wind are all players in the shear game. Even buildings near the runways can be factors in wind shear. If a strong wind is blowing from the east and there are buildings between the wind and runway, just the smallest alley between them can create a wind tunnel that could make a difficult time for pilots on the runway.
Luckily we have warning systems that can help alert of these treacherous microburst. The LL WAS-NE and TDWR are two of these systems that are used at airports. Although they might give a false alert once in a while, it is better to be prepared for a wind shear and it not be there than to be ill prepared and a wind shear surprise you.
References
Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, chapter 12, Weather Theory. https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/14_phak_ch12.pdf
Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 13, Aviation Weather Services. https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/15_phak_c h13.pdf
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