There are many ways that ATC can warn us of possible hazards. Sometimes it’s as simple as, “Traffic 2 o’clock, one mile, same altitude, converging.” Other times their admonitions can be quite cryptic. Let’s take a look at some winter weather warnings that might be coming from ATC and what we can do about them.
Snow or ice covered runways can present real problems when you’re landing. Braking may be severely compromised or at times even reduced to nil. If the snow is deep enough, it may even be enough to cause the plane to swerve and slide even if the pilot is doing all the right things. Both takeoff and landing can be difficult or impossible in the worst case. On the other hand, done properly, landing on snow or ice is not that difficult. If it were, then Alton Bay airport (B18) in New Hampshire wouldn’t open an ice runway on the lake, weather permitting. There are two primary ways that ATC can tell us about the condition of the runway.
