Thunderstorms

    Thunderstorms, in my opinion, pose the greatest risk to aviation operations. Thunderstorms cause an array of issues that can include: turbulence, downburst, microburst, tornadoes, icing, lightning, hail, heavy rain, surface wind gusts, runway contamination, low status, and bad visibility. 

    Turbulence is the one we've all felt, we're on a commercial airline just doing our normal flying thing then all of a sudden the plane starts shaking and everyone's blood pressure goes up. I normally just watch the flight attendant and see what they are doing. If they look worried then I know I should be too but usually its normal turbulence and not alarming. 

    Thunderstorms also cause micro bursts which pose serious harm to the aircraft if not properly mitigated. Microburst cause large downdrafts of up to 6,000f/min most aircrafts cannot climb that fast. Pilots need to be aware of this natural occurrence from thunderstorms because you might not be able to see a microburst descending out of a cloud. 

    Lightning is the one I thought would be the most harm to aircraft operations until I was reminded that most modern aircrafts have aluminum frames. If a lightning strike does occur then more then likely it would only effect compass deviations and electronics. Luckily we have static wicks that could electrically discharge an aircraft releasing the electrons back to the atmosphere. 

    Thunderstorms cause a magnitude of problems but luckily its nothing we haven't seen before. We created countermeasures to combat the issues that could arise from thunderstorms to make them more manageable.

 

References

EAI. (n.d.). Thunderstorm dangers. Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.experimentalaircraft.info/flight-planning/aviation-hazards-4.php#:~:text=when%20caught%20inside.-,Dangers%20to%20aviation,low%20status%20and%20bad%20visibility.

Komarec, C. (n.d.). 6 of the most dangerous weather hazards in aviation. Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2019/05/six-of-the-most-dangerous-weather-hazards-in-aviation/#:~:text=Thunderstorms%20produce%20the%20most%20severe,microbursts%20can%20form%20underneath%20them.