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Meteorology

3.9 Flight safety (Meteorologi 5 - 2 videoer)

When we talk about dangerous flying weather, we most often think of the

dramatic weather phenomena that

can be harmful to IFR flights.

Here, it is not visibility and low clouds

that pose the greatest danger, but

icing, thunderstorms, and turbulence.

When these conditions are on the "menu," the vast majority of VFR pilots are

sensible enough to leave the plane in the hangar.

It’s worse when the weather is simply characterized by low clouds and poor

visibility. Often, the pilot underestimates the danger of the weather and

overestimates their own ability to fly in such conditions.

Legislation has set limits on how bad the weather can be before it’s illegal to

fly. However, not all private pilots are capable of flying in weather that meets

these legal thresholds. Now, let's take a look at the weather that is dangerous,

even for professional aviation.

3.9.1 Significant weather

Here, we look at the main types of

dangerous weather that we will

describe in this section.

CB (Cumulonimbus) activity is

dangerous during all phases of flight.

Severe turbulence is also dangerous during all phases of flight. Weather with

significant icing is primarily dangerous en-route, but it can also lead to slippery

runways with poor braking performance.

When we begin our flight preparations, the first thing we look at is the weather.

Flight Theory PPL(A)(UL)/LAPL Henning Andersen, Midtjysk Flyveskole© 2025 315