Flight Training - March 2014 - 44

WEATHER

By Jack Williams
FASTEST WIND GUST
ever recorded: 318 mph on May 3,
1999, in Oklahoma, during a tornado.

WATCHING THE WINDS

THE PATTERNS THAT AFFECT YOUR FLYING

S

omeone's first takeoff, even if it's only on an introductory flight, is
a good time for a flight instructor to introduce the importance of
winds. Unless it's one of those rare days with nearly calm winds, the
instructor can point out that the direction the wind is coming from
determines the runway being used.

WINDS NEAR
THE SURFACE
ARE SLOWED
BY FRICTION,
WHICH IS A
FORCE THAT
SLOWS WINDS
OVER LAND
MORE THAN
THOSE OVER
OCEANS OR
LARGE LAKES.

44 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Wind affects pilots in other ways, including
turbulence and pushing the airplane in directions that pilots don't want to follow.
Students learn to cope with winds early in
their training as they master flying a traffic
pattern to land and take off, and fly ground
reference maneuvers that require following
particular tracks over the ground as wind tries
to push the airplane off course.
The importance of winds to pilots-for
practical reasons of flying and navigating
airplanes-and an understanding of weather
make learning a little about wind a good idea.
SURFACE WINDS. Winds are nothing but the
movement of air from areas of relatively high

atmospheric pressure toward areas
of relatively low pressure at the Earth's
surface or aloft.
When you look at a weather map, you see
some areas marked with an "L" and others
marked with an "H." An "L" shows where air
is rising, creating lower air pressure at the
surface. This rising air becomes part of the
winds aloft, eventually to descend somewhere
else to create an area of high atmospheric
pressure at the surface, which is marked by an
"H" on weather maps.
The differences in air pressure between the
"H" and "L" areas create a force pushing air
from high toward low pressure. How fast the
wind blows depends on both the difference



http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - March 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - March 2014

Flight Training - March 2014
Contents
Member Benefits
Right Seat
Letters
Slip Slidin' Away
Success Stories News
How it Works
After the Checkride
News
Training Products
Events
ASI News
Final Exam
Around the Patch
Checkride
Flight Lesson
Flying Carpet
CHILL OUT
SMILES ALL AROUND
WALK THE TALK
TECHNIQUE
Weather
Career Pilot
Instructor Report
Career Advisor
Instrument Training Tip
Accident Report
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - March 2014 - Flight Training - March 2014
Flight Training - March 2014 - Cover2
Flight Training - March 2014 - Contents
Flight Training - March 2014 - 2
Flight Training - March 2014 - 3
Flight Training - March 2014 - Member Benefits
Flight Training - March 2014 - 5
Flight Training - March 2014 - Right Seat
Flight Training - March 2014 - 7
Flight Training - March 2014 - Letters
Flight Training - March 2014 - 9
Flight Training - March 2014 - Slip Slidin' Away
Flight Training - March 2014 - 11
Flight Training - March 2014 - Success Stories News
Flight Training - March 2014 - How it Works
Flight Training - March 2014 - After the Checkride
Flight Training - March 2014 - News
Flight Training - March 2014 - Training Products
Flight Training - March 2014 - Events
Flight Training - March 2014 - ASI News
Flight Training - March 2014 - Final Exam
Flight Training - March 2014 - Around the Patch
Flight Training - March 2014 - 21
Flight Training - March 2014 - Checkride
Flight Training - March 2014 - 23
Flight Training - March 2014 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - March 2014 - 25
Flight Training - March 2014 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - March 2014 - 27
Flight Training - March 2014 - CHILL OUT
Flight Training - March 2014 - 29
Flight Training - March 2014 - 30
Flight Training - March 2014 - 31
Flight Training - March 2014 - 32
Flight Training - March 2014 - 33
Flight Training - March 2014 - SMILES ALL AROUND
Flight Training - March 2014 - 35
Flight Training - March 2014 - 36
Flight Training - March 2014 - 37
Flight Training - March 2014 - WALK THE TALK
Flight Training - March 2014 - 39
Flight Training - March 2014 - 40
Flight Training - March 2014 - 41
Flight Training - March 2014 - TECHNIQUE
Flight Training - March 2014 - 43
Flight Training - March 2014 - Weather
Flight Training - March 2014 - 45
Flight Training - March 2014 - 46
Flight Training - March 2014 - Career Pilot
Flight Training - March 2014 - 48
Flight Training - March 2014 - Instructor Report
Flight Training - March 2014 - Instrument Training Tip
Flight Training - March 2014 - Accident Report
Flight Training - March 2014 - 52
Flight Training - March 2014 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - March 2014 - 54
Flight Training - March 2014 - 55
Flight Training - March 2014 - 56
Flight Training - March 2014 - 57
Flight Training - March 2014 - 58
Flight Training - March 2014 - 59
Flight Training - March 2014 - 60
Flight Training - March 2014 - 61
Flight Training - March 2014 - 62
Flight Training - March 2014 - 63
Flight Training - March 2014 - Debrief
Flight Training - March 2014 - Cover3
Flight Training - March 2014 - Cover4
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