
Weather Hazards Aircraft are exposed to many weather risks when flying. Changes in pressure, icing, wind, and temperature variances all effect flight and impose levels of risk to the pilots and aircraft. I believe the biggest risk that pilot's face when flying is wind shear. Wind shear is a vertical or horizontal change in the speed of wind. Often associated with thunderstorms and a product of down drafts or microbursts of air accelerating towards earth and then splaying out in different directions, wind shear can have detrimental effects on flight. Wind shear is exceptionally dangerous when flying in close proximity to hazards such as changes in terrain or on landing and takeoff. A violent shift in wind direction can result in the loss of lift and an attitude change of the aircraft. Wind shear in itself is also very difficult to detect. Modern WXR (weather radar) systems have the ability to analyze ...