Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 8, 2025

Dawn had broken bright and clear, and while icing , ceiling, and visibility had been my preoccupationrightfully so, given our arrival into Portlandthe actual threat of the day was wind. As we walked from the wharf to breakfast, I saw that peak wind gusts were tickling the 40-knot mark.

Crosswind 71

Crosswind Wind Shear Knot Airplanes 71

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Runway visual range (RVR) under 2,400 feet triggers a SPECI, and another is issued if it rises to 2,400 feet or more within 10 minutes. Cloud ceilings below 1,500 feet or cumulonimbus clouds can trigger a SPECI. Well, these events can quickly affect visibility or runway conditions so much that they call for a special report.

Altimeter 52

Altimeter Weather Wind Shear Runway 52

Learn to Fly

APRIL 11, 2024

Ceiling—How high are the clouds; can you fly above or around them? Wind—Is the direction and speed conducive to the runway alignment at both the departure and arrival airport? Turbulence and Wind Shear—Ironically, it’s often bumpiest when the skies are the clearest.

Weather 40

Weather Wind Shear Turbulence Ceiling 40

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

While instructors idly watch, airplanes go off the runway, landings become too harsh, structure gets overstressed, and tolerances are exceeded. No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings.

Runway 52

Runway Wind Shear Crosswind Ceiling 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

While instructors idly watch, airplanes go off the runway, landings become too harsh, structure gets overstressed, and tolerances are exceeded. No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings.

Runway 52

Runway Wind Shear Crosswind Ceiling 52

Photographic Logbook

APRIL 19, 2024

I expected to manage some cloud layers during the New York portion of the flight, but the forecast called for a high ceiling at Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Phantom City Initially, I believed that the original forecast claiming high ceilings around Philadelphia would come to pass. Runway and raindrops. Famous last words.)

Approach 76

Approach Wind Shear Runway VOR 76

Air Facts

APRIL 24, 2024

We had light winds, good visibility, full cloud cover, and ample ceiling heights. What was changing, however, wasn’t the visibility, or ceiling heights, or wind—at least not perceivably. After a few minutes of flying through the “chop,” our runway was in sight. The flight started off uneventfully enough.

Turbulence 52

Turbulence Wind Shear Final Approach Ceiling 52