Windshear Weather

Last month, Handling Windshear, described how to recognize, avoid and, handle an encounter with windshear. The focus of that article was the practical side of piloting but we necessarily touched on the basics of the weather behind thunderstorms, microbursts and windshear. Now its time to dig deeper into that meteorology.

Tim Vasquez

Friday, May 05, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Windshear, defined as a change in wind speed or direction over a vertical layer, poses a significant aviation hazard, capable of causing unexpected airspeed loss, severe turbulence, and loss of aircraft control, especially during critical flight phases.
It manifests in two primary forms: non-convective windshear from atmospheric inversions, fronts, or low-level jets, and convective windshear generated by thunderstorms, downdrafts, and microbursts.
Pilots can detect and anticipate windshear using tools like Doppler radar (VWP), weather charts (925/850mb), soundings, and PIREPs.
Safety measures include actively avoiding storms, exercising patience during hazardous conditions, and diligently monitoring TAFs and turbulence forecasts.

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Last month, “Handling Windshear,” described how to recognize, avoid and, handle an encounter with windshear. The focus of that article was the practical side of piloting but we necessarily touched on the basics of the weather behind thunderstorms, microbursts and windshear. Now it’s time to dig deeper into that meteorology.

Why Care?

Windshear was a major research topic in the 1980s when it was responsible for several airline crashes, culminating with the 1985 Delta L-1011 tragedy at DFW Airport. Windshear is now covered heavily in pilot training,.