Wind Shear and Its Effects on Aviation

 Wind Shear and Its Effects on Aviation


    Weather is very problematic for the aviation industry. Has your flight ever been delayed due to weather? This happens to be a common issue for flying all around. Bad weather creates much higher risk for pilots to lose control of the plane and jeopardize the safety of everyone on board. There are many forms of bad weather such as thunderstorms, icing, hail, wind, wind shear, etc. All of them pose a threat of some degree to flying. However, wind shear poses one of the greatest threats to flying. Wind shear affects many flights every year and has been the cause of many serious accidents. 

    Wind shear is the sudden change of direction and/or velocity of wind during a small period of time. Wind shear can cause an almost immediate loss of speed and altitude which makes it extremely dangerous. Wind shear at lower levels is the most dangerous because when a plane experiences wind shear at a lower level it is more likely to crash. Wind shear is most likely to occur within a microburst or traveling over mountains. Since mountains are ridged they cause inconsistencies in wind direction which is why it is more likely for wind shear to occur. Pilots are trained to detect when wind shear will happen and how to avoid it. Not only are they trained on how to avoid wind shear, but they are also trained on what to do when wind shear occurs. Flight planning plays a key role in avoiding wind shear. Avoiding hazardous weather or terrain is the best way to avoid wind shear. 


References

Airbus. (2021, June 2). Wind shear: an invisible enemy to pilots? Safety First. https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/wind-shear-an-invisible-enemy-to-pilots/.

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