Seeing The Invisible

Most pilots venture into windy conditions with enough skills and smarts to know how to either avoid or cope with them. But wind-related accidents are still commonplace, so clearly we dont always get it right. One reason for this may be fairly simple: With the exception of blowing snow, tornadoes, dust devils and some cloud formations, wind is usually invisible. To visualize what is going on, you have to visualize wind currents, which is where my experience whitewater rafting has served me well.

Mike Hart

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots can improve safety and anticipate invisible wind effects by visualizing air flow patterns, similar to how whitewater rafters "read" water, especially to understand how air interacts with terrain and obstacles.
Turbulent flow and dangerous "rotors" are created when wind encounters ground features, uniform barriers (like lines of trees or hangars), or terrain (ridges, canyons), with intensity often amplified by specific angles, thermal effects, or terrain channeling (Venturi effect).
Effective wind management requires pilots to apply this understanding of fluid dynamics, utilize visualization tools like windy.com, and possess the humility to adjust flight paths or avoid hazardous conditions, particularly given the greater susceptibility of lighter aircraft.

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Most pilots venture into windy conditions with enough skills and smarts to know how to either avoid or cope with them. But wind-related accidents are still commonplace, so clearly we don’t always get it right. One reason for this may be fairly simple: With the exception of blowing snow, tornadoes, dust devils and some cloud formations, wind is usually invisible. To visualize what is going on, you have to visualize wind currents, which is where my experience whitewater rafting has served me well.

I have found that the best way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to anticipate them. Wind socks and bent trees are great clues, but even without them it’s possible to know when and how an encounter with wind will affect your aircraft. To visualize what is going on, you need to have a bit of scientific understanding, a bit of imagination and the humility to accept when you need to run away.