But flying does not have to be an all or nothing decision. Travelling by coach releases even less — the equivalent of just 28g of CO2. Unmanned aerial vehicles have been landing themselves for awhile now, so it is possible. Corey is an Embraer First Officer for svoid regional airline. Rain often means that drivers have to drive slower due to reduced visibility, standing water or other slow drivers.

Light or moderate snow will not stop operations, says Nance. And pilots could face difficulties generating flying speed in slush or standing water over a half-inch deep, or when there's too much snow accumulation. In such conditions, the drag on the aircraft tires can be so great that a plane is unable to take off before the runway ends.

Visibility can also be a factor. The reason? In such conditions, aircraft can gather ice faster than de-icing equipment can remove it, and ice can also wreak havoc on every other part of airport operations.

An aircraft can lose traction in the ice, making it difficult to control. Critical equipment can freeze, and braking can become uncertain if not impossible. Airlines, airports, and the FAA do what they can to prevent weather from stranding passengers. But their strategies have changed in the last few years, particularly in light of the Department of Transportation's rules on airport-tarmac delays, which fine airlines for keeping passengers on a parked plane for more than three hours.

All rights reserved. Each weather condition presents different dangers or difficulties: Wind In clear weather, winds are rarely a factor, and then only if they're blowing across, not down, the runway.

Snow Light or moderate snow will not stop operations, says Nance. Bottom line? A few snowflakes won't cause a cancellation, but a blizzard might. Freezing rain "One thing we don't fly in is freezing rain," says Nance. New strategies Airlines, airports, and the FAA do what they can to prevent weather from stranding passengers. Share Tweet Email.

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Animals Harp seal pups dying on beach as winter sea ice fails. Animals More than manatees have perished in Why are they dying? Environment A locust plague hit East Africa. The pesticide solution may have dire consequences. Partner Content Join the Millions. Environment Planet Possible Fungi are key to our survival. Unmanned aerial vehicles have been landing themselves for awhile now, so it is possible. Just recently in May of , a team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich outfitted a general aviation Diamond DA42 with a custom automatic control system and was landed autonomously without any pilot input, though a pilot was in the cockpit.

The video can be seen here on YouTube. Instrument flying technology since then has become much more advanced and safe. This is a system that allows an aircrafts position, altitude, and tail number to be displayed on an aircrafts in cockpit GPS system.

Each aircraft that is commissioned for travel with passengers goes through extensive testing by the manufacturer. These include testing the structures and systems well beyond anything that they would encounter in the real world. Some examples of tests they go through are:. In more severe cases you may have seen it flexing quite a bit. Well aircraft manufacturers test exactly this.

Many modern passenger Jet Planes Avoid Bad Weather By Flying Above It In The Rain aircraft can flex their wings nearly 90 degrees in their tests! For example, Airbus performed a maximum load test on the airframe of the A in December of They put a load on the wing that would be 1.

There is no doubt that airplanes are not the only thing in the sky. It originally belonged to the birds before man learned how to fly, so they are and will always be a chance encounter of a bird strike. While most bird strikes cause little damage to the plane, in Captain Sullys case, it can cause catastrophic damage to the engines, should enough of them go through at once. To ensure that engines will still operate even after a bird strike, engine manufacturers will run tests where they actually do throw already dead birds into a test engine on the ground.

They also test striking the airplanes cockpit windshield to see if it is strong enough to not break from the force. Not only are birds an issue, but water as well. Airplanes will still take Jet Planes Avoid Bad Weather By Flying Above It In The Age off in wet conditions, assuming that they are not severe. Engineers will force steady streams of water through an engine and even ice to simulate flying through clouds containing hail. This means that an aircrafts structure, systems, and engines are subject to some extreme temperature changes over the course of a flight.

Engineers will test these conditions by suscepting an airframe and its engines to extreme heat as well as freezing temperatures to simulate what it would be like in the real world.

They perform all kinds trials including:. Pretty much everything you can think of they throw at the aircraft to make sure it still performs within safety specifications. The aircrafts systems are assembled in this facility and then computers performs actually functioning tests on an ongoing basis on hydraulic pumps, electrical and mechanical systems, etc. Computer models and simulations these days are incredibly accurate and can test an aircrafts systems up to a point.

But when you get to all the complex systems interacting with each other, it can be difficult for computers to predict reactions ahead of time. Many issues may not turn up until you actually hook all the systems up together and use them simultaneously, this is where the Iron Bird comes in.

As discussed above, lightning happens frequently and planes can often find themselves being struck by it. This however usually does not cause any issues for the aircraft due to the extensive testing that is done.

Traditional aluminium planes are highly conductive and it can dissipate the electricity through the airframe without causing any damage. Modern aircraft however are built using much lighter weight composite materials so they need to be protected from lightning. At a lightning test laboratory in Cardiff, UK, they test different aircraft material to understand their reactions and to ensure that they are safe for use in commercial airliners.

So the next time you are anxious about boarding a modern commercial airliner, you can rest assured that the aircraft had already gone through extensive research and testing before it was placed into service. Being aboard a commercial aircraft is just about the safest way to travel, even if you happen to run into a few bumps along the way. Also remember, try not to get discouraged the next time you have a flight that is canceled. The pilots likely canceled it for a very good reason.

Even though they are aware that their planes can withstand nearly everything that gets thrown at it, they only have your safety in mind. Having the aircraft cabin pressurized is how airplanes are able to fly at high altitudes.

Can airplanes land in rain? While it is not ideal due to the runway being more slick and it will be harder for them to slow down, generally they are landing on runways with plenty of length to allow for the extra braking distance needed. Granted, pilots will choose the side of safety and may divert to an alternate airport if there is a very strong rainstorm at their destination.

Can airplanes fly through tropical storms? Technically yes, they can, but will they? Probably not. Commercial airline pilots will definitely take action to fly around or over any tropical storms as the turbulence in or around them can be severe. Flying coast to coast is ten times safer than making the trip by train. A sold out jet which can carry to passengers would have to crash every day for a year with no survivors to equal the number of automobile deaths per year.

Based on the odds, Dr. Barnett of MIT calculated that you are 19 times safer in a plane than in a car. You are more likely to die from a bee sting than a commercial flight. There is a. In the chart below you will see the steady decline in fatal aviation accidents per year. Icing Conditions Icing may be one of the most carefully scrutinized weather details when flying. An aircraft having de-icing chemicals sprayed onto it. Related Posts. Jan 27, Commercial Aviation. Dec 27, Medical.

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