Weather and How It Affects Flights

     



    Weather affects everyone across the globe and, at times, affects airlines and travel. Unfortunately, airlines have no control over what Mother Nature decides to do. In January of this year, over 1000 flights were canceled, affecting domestic and international travel. Many travelers faced long delays due to high winds this year. Three types of winds can hinder an aircraft from landing or taking off: head, tail, and crosswinds. According to FAA statistics, weather causes approximately 70 percent of the delays in the National Airspace System (NAS). (Kulesa, 2002) Bad storms can also cause airports to close or cause take-off and landing issues; they could also cause flight diversions that cost operators more money in the long run due to fuel expenses, landing fees, and the loss of passengers' time. In addition to high winds, turbulence, thunderstorms, ceiling and visibility, and icing conditions also affect flights and can cause possible delays. These delays inconvenience passengers, flight crews, airports, and other aviation employees. I chose this particular article to show everyone how vital weather and its effects can be on the aviation world. Currently, several systems are in place to track weather. Airlines use radar, satellites, Flight Service Systems, Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Systems, and Enhanced Weather Information Systems (EWINS). EWINS is an exclusive system for tracking, assessing, and delivering weather data for hazardous weather. Knowing what is going on in the skies and tracking the weather is extremely important for flying. Having this knowledge will give you the ability to reach your destination, keep your altitude during flight, have a line of sight(visibility), keep a fixed position, and help you not worry about the structural integrity of your aircraft.

Ortiz, Aimee. "More than 1,000 Flights Are Canceled as Extreme Weather Batters the U.S."New York Times, 9 Jan. 2024.


"The Effect of Wind Speed on an Airplane." Pilot Institute, 27 Aug. 2021, pilotinstitute.com/wind-speed-airplane/. 

Kulesa, Gloria. The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation Weather and Aviation: How Does Weather Affect the 

Safety and Operations of Airports and Aviation, and How Does FAA Work to Manage Weather-Related Effects? Weather Impacts on Aviation. 2002.


Johnston, Matthew. “The Importance of Aviation & Flight Weather Planning.” CAU, 25 Oct. 2021, calaero.edu/importance-flight-weather-planning/.

 

“Meteorology.” Faa.gov, 2015, www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap7_section_1.html#:~:text=The%20FAA%20has%20identified%20three.

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