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:

Wildfire smoke significantly impairs aviation safety by drastically reducing visibility for VFR and IFR operations, leading to dangerous conditions, flight restrictions, and posing health risks from harmful pollutants; pilots should consider using oxygen.
Pilots are advised to avoid unnecessary flights in smoky conditions. If flying, operate under an instrument flight plan and rely on TAFs (watching for "FU" for smoke) and the experimental HRRR-Smoke model for accurate forecasts, as standard MOS visibility predictions are unreliable.
Smoke can travel thousands of miles and affect various altitudes, with its duration dependent on fire containment and long-term weather patterns. Pilot reports (PIREPs) are crucial for understanding real-time smoke tops and conditions.

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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.