Surviving Windshear

Ryan Motte

Monday, August 22, 2022 at 12:24 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Windshear can be a subtle yet dangerous phenomenon, often requiring pilots to recognize early signs like unexpected groundspeed or abnormal power settings on approach, even in seemingly routine gusty conditions.
Key sources of windshear include frontal systems, thunderstorms (particularly dangerous microbursts), temperature inversions, and surface obstructions.
Pilots should employ a comprehensive strategy of avoidance, being prepared to reject approaches or takeoffs, and executing specific recovery procedures (full power, pitch up, no configuration change) if windshear is encountered.
Adding an airspeed buffer (e.g., half the gust factor) on approach and carefully monitoring groundspeed can provide a crucial safety margin against unexpected windshear.

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Inspiration struck me for this topic while flying recently. I would not quite call it complacency, but flying on gusty days definitely feels routine. For example, it would not deter me if I saw a local airport reporting LLWS (low level windshear) +/-5 knots by a Skyhawk. In fact, a local airport is famous for reporting LLWS perpetually on gusty days. It is obviously a consideration, but not something I would cancel a flight over.

So when I was out flying, the moderately gusty weather did not raise any flags. We had flown into the same airport about three hours earlier with nothing more than light turbulence on the approach. The winds were about 30 degrees off the runway, at 10 or so knots, with gusts into the mid-teens. Again, nothing that would set off any alarm bells. We added the appropriate airspeed buffer—half the gust value—and continued the approach.