Navigating Smoke

Smoke can present a hazard to all pilots, but especially those flying under visual flight rules.

Thursday, June 08, 2023 at 11:09 AM ET

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Smoke from Canadian wildfires brought in by wind created a hazy New York city skyline June 7, 2023. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Forest fire smoke presents a significant aviation hazard, drastically lowering visibility (especially for VFR flight) and posing health risks from harmful particulates; pilots are advised to avoid flying, use IFR flight plans if necessary, and consider supplemental oxygen.
Smoke can travel thousands of miles, reducing visibility at various altitudes and forming turbulent pyrocumulus clouds, with its concentration and distribution varying based on atmospheric stability and daily heating cycles.
Pilots should consult Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs) for 'FU' (smoke) and utilize the experimental HRRR-Smoke model for near-surface and vertically integrated smoke forecasts, supplementing with pilot reports to ascertain real-time conditions and smoke tops.

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Given the dozens of forest fires burning out of control in southeastern Canada, mainly in Quebec and Nova Scotia, I have received many inquiries from my followers about how to deal with smoke from an aviation perspective. First and foremost, smoke can present a hazard to all pilots, but especially those flying under VFR.

Fires in Canada as of June 7, 2023. Red means the fires are out of control, yellow, being held, and blue, under control. Source: https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/interactive-map.

Smoke lowers visibility, not only at the surface, but aloft as well. It is not unusual for smoke to lower flight and surface visibility to less than 1 statute mile, making flying VFR impossible and dangerous, especially at night and in mountainous terrain. Even under IFR, visibility may be in the low IFR flight category and below published minimums for some airports. In fact, the FAA implemented a ground stop for flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia airport because of smoke and reduced visibility on Wednesday.