Are you a frequent flier? Do you ever worry about when your trip might get canceled or your flight delayed because of bad weather? Are you looking for reassurance that your plane will be able to fly following a thunderstorm? Regardless of your travel experiences or the frequency of your flights, most of us can all agree that not being able to fly in a thunderstorm is a little nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, the latest research shows that while the terror of being unable to take off maybe averted with a light drizzle, the actual flying of aircraft is safe during a thunderstorm.
Can Planes Fly in Thunderstorms?
A plane flying in a thunderstorm is very dangerous. It does not matter what the pilot does, such as fly the plane at a low altitude, try to change the direction of the wind, or leave the route in order to get out of the storm. If there are strong winds in a thunderstorm, air pressure cannot change. The air cannot rise up in order to make it possible for planes to fly at low altitudes. The pilot has two choices: fly at an altitude that is lower than that of surrounding clouds or fly where there are no clouds at all. Neither of these options is safe.
What Is The Weather Limit For An Aircraft?
- Aircraft are not built to withstand high winds, they are built to withstand normal winds. So the limit is around 100 knots. If a plane is flying at 200 knots, it would have to be flown at a lower altitude than normal in order for the pilot to not lose control of the plane.
- The question which comes up often is why pilots do not fly more carefully in thunderstorms? The answer is that they cannot see the lightning and they think that if they fly above clouds, they will not be hit by lightning. Also, if there are no clouds, a plane may still get hit by lightning but it will only be hit once.
- This goes against what pilots learn in flight school; that no one can see lightning and you should always fly above storms when possible in order to avoid being struck by lightning. Pilots also think that if there’s no cloud cover and their plane can go faster than the storm, then it won’t be struck by lightning.
- If a plane is hit by lightning, it will be damaged beyond repair if it’s not hit directly. If a plane is hit by lightning, it will suffer structural damage such as the wings and tail being bent, the fuselage being weakened or even the entire plane being damaged.
- If a plane is hit by lightning, it may not be able to fly in the same direction as before. This can happen because the plane will be damaged and the pilot will have no control over the plane.
- The most common way that pilots die from lightning is by being electrocuted. Lightning can cause an electrical fire that burns through wires, which then may cause an explosion or fire inside of the plane. It can also burn through cables, which could cause an electrical fire on the ground that burns down a whole neighborhood or even a whole town.
- The only other way pilots die from lightning is by being crushed to death when they are thrown out of their seats after they are struck by lightning and their seat belts fail to hold them in place. This happens because there’s no air pressure in the cabin, so when people are thrown out of their seats, they cannot get back into them again until the cabin pressure returns to normal. If a pilot dies from being thrown out of the plane, they will usually die in a very tragic way as they are thrown into the water or may even be thrown out of the plane and fall to their death.
Can An Aircraft Fly In A Thunderstorm?
- A thunderstorm is a storm that occurs when there are clouds and the temperature is above 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and the wind speed is above 30 kilometers per hour (18 mph).
- The temperature at which a plane can fly in a thunderstorm is -10 oC (14 oF) or below, so it would be extremely cold for an aircraft to fly in the middle of a thunderstorm.
- The wind speed at which an aircraft can fly in a thunderstorm depends on the altitude of the plane. If the plane is flying too high, then it may not be able to sustain enough lift to even stay up in the air because there isn’t enough lift from the atmosphere to keep it up in the air, so it would fall to its death or crash into a building due to lack of control from being struck by lightning.
- The wind speed at which an aircraft can fly in a thunderstorm also depends on the type of aircraft. For example, an airplane that is flying too high would not be able to sustain enough lift to stay up in the air because there isn’t enough lift from the atmosphere to keep it up in the air, so it would fall to its death or crash into a building due to lack of control from being struck by lightning.
- However, if an aircraft is flying too low, then it will be able to sustain enough lift to stay up in the air because there’s plenty of lift from the atmosphere. So this means that if an aircraft is flying at a low altitude, then it can fly through thunderstorms with no problems.
- In conclusion, an aircraft can fly through thunderstorms with no problems as long as they are flying at a low altitude or have enough lift from the atmosphere to sustain them in flight.
- To understand how an aircraft can fly through thunderstorms, it is necessary to know what a thunderstorm is and how it occurs.
- Lightning is the most dangerous part of a thunderstorm because it can strike an aircraft from any angle, even from behind, and there are no safety precautions for pilots in the cockpit when flying through thunderstorms.
- A thunderstorm is a storm that occurs when there are clouds and the temperature is above 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and the wind speed is above 30 kilometers per hour (18 mph).
Bottom Line
While a thunderstorm may not pose a direct risk to planes flying in them, it is still important for pilots to be aware of the dangers that come with these conditions. When a thunderstorm is present, pilots should keep an eye out for precipitation and be prepared for conditions that would make flying difficult or even dangerous.