Meteorology & Turbulance
What is meteorology?
It is the study of the atmosphere, focussing on weather processes and forcasting.
What is wind defined as?
Movement of atmospheric air on the planet and is caused by variations in air pressure.
What does wind affect during flight?
Fuel usage and flight time
In which direction will flight crew try to take off and land in?
Facing into the wind- sometimes this isnt always possible, causing a crosswind= bumpy ride.
What happens if there is strong wind on ground level?
Strong gusts may produce turbulance on final approach.
What is fog defined as?
Low lying cloud made up of a dense mass of small water droplets that reduce visibility.
Can an aircraft land in fog?
If it is really bad an aircraft may need to be diverted or grounded, otherwise it can still land and take off.
What are clouds?
A collection of tiny water droplets (ice crystals) that are suspended in the air.
How are clouds formed?
When moist air rises and cools.
What are thunderstorms?
Storms are produced by cumulonimbus clouds. It is unstable air and moisture.
What is turbulance?
Turbulance is an irregular flow of air in the atmosphere.
How is turbulance caused?
Storms, mountains, aircraft wake
What are the effects of turbulence?
Disruption of inflight service
Passenger concern and anxiety
Passenger or crew injury
What is the difference between anticipated and unanticipated turbulence?
Anticipated- predicted, picked up on flight radar.
Unanticipated- cannot be predicted, little to no warning. More commonly at high altitudes.
What are the key elements of weather?
Wind
Fog
Cloud
Thunderstorm
What are the 2 types of unanticipated turbulance?
light unanticipated and unanticipated turbulance.