1. The Effects of Weather on Aircraft

2. Warm-Up Questions CPS Questions 1-2
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

3. Lesson Overview How ice impacts flight
How a microburst can induce wind shear on an aircraft
How sandstorms can be hazardous to air flight
How wake turbulence affects air flight
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

4. (Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Quick Write
Do you think good flying instincts are something you’re born with or a skill you can learn?
(Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of NASA

5. How Ice Impacts Flight
13 January 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 took off from Washington National Airport
Snow was falling fast
Plane was barely airborne before crashing into 14th
Street Bridge
The 737’s nose pitched up abruptly right after liftoff
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of AP Photo

6. Causes of the Crash Flight crew didn’t turn on engine anti-ice system
Crew took off even though snow and ice covered the airfoils
Captain should have heeded irregular readings from engine instruments
Pilot and copilot’s limited winter flight experience
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from National Transportation Safety Board

7. Ice Hazards
Can cause stalls, make it difficult to see out the windshield
Icing takes place when a plane flies through visible water—cloud or fog
Wind chill can cool airplane’s surface enough that icing can occur
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy US Air Force/Staff Sgt Joseph McKee

8. Forms of Ice Clear—glossy, see-through Rime—brittle and frostlike
Mixed—mixture of clear and rime
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from NASA/virtual skies

9. Lift and Weight
If ice builds up on an aircraft, plane’s weight increases—lift decreases
When aircraft is about to stall, you can often feel it vibrate
Snow and ice change an airfoil’s shape and reduces lift
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from National Transportation Safety Board

10. Drag Snow and ice buildup also generates drag
Induced drag always accompanies lift; drag and lift always proportional
Parasite drag can be a problem for plane contaminated with ice and snow
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

11. Activity 1: Icing Research Tunnel
Watch the video “NASA at 50: Icing Research Tunnel Designated as Historic Landmark”
Answer the analysis questions
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

12. Learning Check Questions CPS Questions 3-4
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

13. Microburst Is a violent downdraft
Takes place in space of less than one mile horizontally and within 1,000 feet vertically
Lasts about 15 minutes, and can create wind speeds greater than 100 knots
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of NASA

14. Effects of a Microburst
Plane experiences a quick series of events
Performance-increasing headwinds
Performance-decreasing downdrafts
Wind rapidly shearing to a tailwind
Impact with the ground or aircraft pushed dangerously close to the ground
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from US Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration

15. Detecting Microbursts
Difficult because they crop up in relatively small areas
Often associated with convective precipitation
Airports have installed a low- level wind shear alert system
NASA, FAA and others developed sensor that reads speed and direction of invisible particles of water vapor and dust in the wind
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of NASA

16. Activity 2: Effects of a Microburst
Examine the illustration
Answer the questions and explain what is occurring with the aircraft and the weather
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

17. Activity 3: Flight 191 and Flight Safety
Review the Delta Air Lines Flight 191, Dallas, Texas section in the textbook
Investigate research and gather information using the sources identified
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

18. Learning Check Questions CPS Questions 5-6
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

19. Sandstorms
Strong, dry winds generally take place over arid—hot and dry—lands
Reduce visibility, clog aircraft engines and instruments, and make it difficult to breathe
Can damage aircraft and other machinery
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of USN/USMC/Cpl Alicia M. Garcia

20. Operation Eagle Claw Runs Into Sandstorms
Military troops were attempting to rescue 53 Americans who had been taken hostage
It was to take place over two nights
Weather played large part in ending the mission prematurely
MC-130s and EC-130s ran into two sandstorms
Helicopters had to spread out to avoid running into one another
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of USAF/Hurlburt Fielditt

21. Operation Eagle Claw Runs Into Sandstorms, cont.
One helicopter crew aborted due to damaged rotor blade; another’s navigation and flight instruments failed; yet another had mechanical issues
Col Beckwith recommended aborting the mission
Eight Airmen and Marines died
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of USAF/Hurlburt Field

22. Activity 4: Sandstorms in Aviation
Review the Operation Eagle Claw Runs Into Sandstorms section in the textbook
Outline the events of the mission specific to the sandstorm in the flow chart
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

23. How Wake Turbulence Affects Air Flight
Aircraft generate wake turbulence while in flight
Disturbance caused by a pair of vortices trailing from an aircraft’s wingtips
Dangerous to other aircraft that get too close
Can damage aircraft parts and equipment
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of NASA/Sarah DeWitt

24. Intensity
Depends on weight, speed, and wing shape of vortex-producing aircraft
Greatest when the generating aircraft is heavy, slow, and clean
Strong wingtip vortices created during takeoff, climb, and landing
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from US Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration

25. Vortex Behavior
Trailing vortices behave in predictable ways that can help pilots avoid wake turbulence
Move outward, upward, and around the wingtips
Vortices generally maintain a distance of a little less than a wingspan apart
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from US Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration

26. Avoiding Wake Turbulence
Avoid flying through another aircraft’s flight path
The pilot should climb above the other aircraft’s climb path until clear of its wake
When landing behind a departing aircraft, land before the departing aircraft’s rotating point
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Reproduced from US Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration

27. Learning Check Questions CPS Questions 7-8
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

28. Summary How ice impacts flight
How a microburst can induce wind shear on an aircraft
How sandstorms can be hazardous to air flight
How wake turbulence affects air flight
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

29. Review Questions CPS Questions 9-10
Chapter 2, Lesson 5

30. Next…. Done – the effects of weather on aircraft
Next – human physiology and air flight
Chapter 2, Lesson 5
Courtesy of USAF/MSgt Kevin J. Gruenwald