We know storms are not the norm in California.
Just because they don’t often appear on the Central Coast doesn’t mean we shouldn’t study adverse meteorological conditions, though. The more you know about what to expect leading up to and during bad weather circumstances, the safer your decision-making process can be when dealing with them. We may not be weather experts here at SunWest, but we can share with you some time-tested weather elements to watch out for as we continue through the summer months:
Heated, moist air
Hot and saturated air (think high temp, high humidity) can lift into the upper atmosphere where it cools, condenses, and dissipates. Sometimes the process of condensation can release heat too, causing a blob of air that has already lifted to rise even higher. Why does that matter? This whole process leads to the presence of rather unstable air, which can prove hazardous when flying. According to Chief Flight Instructor Scott Settle, you can anticipate whether air is stable or unstable by looking at the clouds in the sky. With a few exceptions, a normally stable atmosphere will produce flat cloud layers, whereas a generally unstable atmosphere will produce tall, fluffy clouds.
Fluffy clouds
They’re so pretty! But when you fly in and around these sky marshmallows, you can experience a lot of turbulence. There’s usually a cocktail sloshing around in cumulous clouds that’s comprised of air of different temperatures, pressures, and velocity. These warring ingredients can produce some brazen bumps. Significant and continuous up and downdrafts in these clouds can make it difficult to hold altitude, putting pilots in uncomfortable and possibly dangerous situations. This is not to say that all tall, billowing clouds will wreck your day, but it’s better to steer clear of them if feasible. Make sure to stay away from storm clouds, too.
Storm clouds (this is the obvious one)
Though most of us wouldn’t launch into a dark, angry line of clouds, it is possible to get up in the air when things look relatively calm, only to be caught in a dreadful situation moments later. Scott says there are some noticeable warning signs that a storm’s a comin’; look out for:
The rapid development of cumulus clouds
An evident front (obvious separation between clear sky and a continuous line of clouds)
A rapid decrease in barometric pressure
Storms are a great threat to aircraft, and getting into IFR conditions as a VFR pilot can be deadly. You can lose your visual references and instability can disorient you, causing the aircraft to enter unusual attitudes. Loss of situational awareness coupled with unusual attitudes can lead to a complete loss of aircraft control.
If you’re ever thinking about launching in these environments, it may just be safer to keep your wheels on the ground. But if you do find yourself near stormy conditions, haze, or mist as a VFR pilot and you just need to get down, Scott suggests using GPS or OBS set to your intended airport’s runway heading to help orient you to your position relative to the runway. The smartest option for VFR pilots caught in most low-visibility scenarios, though, is to divert to a different airport that’s reporting VFR conditions if possible.
Do you have any tips or tricks for predicting, understanding, or avoiding bad weather? Let us know!