Fair chance: Accurate forecast is key to a good flight | Photo Credit: K_MURALIKUMAR
Is bad weather not good enough for flying? It is true to a certain extent, but commercial aeroplanes are equipped to fly in all weather conditions. Over the years, better weather forecasts are helping pilots determine whether they should get the aircraft airborne or not.
The accuracy of weather models is far better than they were earlier. The precise location of a thunderstorm even before they form is now easier to detect which helps pilots to navigate their aircraft much better.
Satellites and radars are equipped with enough technology to help pilots get a peek into the clouds so that it helps them to either skip them or go through them. Training manuals have been revised and updated as well.
However, there are certain weather conditions that are just not good enough for flying and there have been occasions when bad weather has helped aircraft to break speed records.
On one such occasion, three aircraft broke records, flying from New York to London in just under five hours compared with the previous record of slightly over five hours. On February 10, 2020, winds aided by extreme tailwinds, thanks to Storm Ciara, reached over 300 km/h, allowing the aircraft to hit a top speed of around 1,300 km/h.
So, it begs the question of which is the best weather condition to fly. Many consider summer is the best season to fly but pilots can tell you that it is more of a myth than a reality. Pilots have come across what is known as pop up thunderstorms while flying their aircraft which makes air navigation a bit difficult.
According to aviation experts, there are no seasons or weather conditions that are better or worse for flying. It all depends on the weather forecast for the day. As the accuracy of the forecast gets better, so are the chances of flying without hitting air pockets.
(Source: Gediminas Ziemelis-Airline Routes & Ground Services; DTN; Outside; weather.com).
Published on August 8, 2021