Spring Weather
May 2010
Spring is here, and you're ready to take to the skies. But are you, really? Before you start another season of dawn patrol breakfast runs, weekend trips to the beach or the mountains and touch-and-goes as the sky goes red with dusk, you'd better get a little dual and knock the rust off your flying skills-because before summer comes you've got to get through the weather of spring.
You'll enjoy some of the nicest flying weather of the year in spring, with clear, cool skies. But the contrast between warm and cold weather also hits you with some of the worst of flying weather.
Thunderstorms
Cold fronts roaring down from the Arctic create the instability that feeds springtime severe storms. Fast-moving warm fronts spawn embedded thunderstorms, hidden in low clouds. In spring it's not unusual for two or even three fronts to blow past each week. So there's a lot of exposure to fast-growing thunderstorms as you return to the skies in spring.
Fog and low clouds
Wet air gets cool, and fog and low clouds form. This is common on clear, cool nights, which are abundant in spring. Anticipate, even expect, obscured visibility from just after sundown to well past sunrise.
Ice
I thought we were done with winter! Spring may seem warm enough, but in most parts of the country it's still cold enough for ice. Stay out of clouds and visible moisture if the temperature is near or below freezing. Always plan an escape route in case you unexpectedly encounter ice, even in a "known ice" airplane. Watch for RPM or manifold pressure loss in carbureted engines, even if the skies are clear, because spring temperatures are prime for power-robbing carb ice.
Wind
Wind? I can handle crosswinds! That's what everyone thinks. Then why do crosswind accidents cost the industry millions of dollars each year? Pilots don't often consider wind to be a weather hazard, but rather something to be overcome. In spring's winds, pilots are often wrong.
Spring, the season of weather hazards. Spring comes at the same time many pilots' recent flying experience is at its lowest. Get a good flight review and some practice to start the flying season. Then watch weather conditions closely, and don't try to handle too much before you're back up to speed for the flying season.
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