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Weather Flying Robert N. Buck Robert O. Buck Fifth Edition New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2013 by Robert O. Buck. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-07-179973-7 MHID: 0-07-179973-7 e-Book conversion by Cenveo Publisher Services Version 1.0 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-179972-0, MHID: 0-07-179972-9. McGraw-Hill Education eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us page at www.mhprofessional.com . 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Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill Education and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. For Leighton Collins. About the Authors Robert N. Buck (1914–2007) was a leading aviation author who set a New York to Los Angeles speed record in 1930 at the age of 16. He began a career with TWA in 1937, initially flying the DC-2 and DC-3. During World War II he flew with the Air Transport Command, until as a civilian he headed a bad-weather research project for the U.S. Army Air Forces, flying a Boeing B-17 bomber; for this he was awarded the Air Medal. He also participated in early thunderstorm research, penetrating storms in a P-61 Black Widow. Post-war he was briefly TWA’s chief pilot, then returned to the cockpit to fly over 2,000 trans-Atlantic crossings, as well as served on numerous aviation committees on safety, weather, and U.S. supersonic transport efforts. He retired as a Boeing 747 captain, then remained active through aviation consulting, wrote four more books, and remained an active pilot until age 88. Robert O. Buck is a retired Delta Air Lines captain, with roots in general aviation, where he remains an active pilot, flying light aircraft and sailplanes. He soloed gliders at 15 and a beloved Cessna 120 at 16, and retired flying Boeing 767s internationally. His aviation path has also included competitive soaring, flight instruction, aircraft sales, commuter airline flying, and serving as Technical Editor for Business & Commercial Aviation magazine. Contents About Some People Preface to the Fifth Edition Introduction to the First Edition 1. Weather Flying 2. A Little Theory for Weather Flying That Important Dewpoint How Air Cools Season and Time of Day Terrain Wind Clouds 3. Some Thoughts on Checking Weather It Isn’t Easy It’s Approved and Official How It Works You Are the Meteorologist You Are the Captain! 4. Checking Weather and the Big Picture The Big Picture No Surprises Satellites and Some NEXRAD What Do Satellites Show? Valid Old Map Thoughts Where We Find This Computerized Weather Get the Picture First On Days Off, Too A Deeper Look at the Map Watch the Slow Lows The Wind Speed Tells a Story Highs Are Not Always Nice Look Up A Meteorologist’s Big Picture from the Web 5. Getting That Weather Information Always Learning Where and How Some Extra Sources No One Said It Was Easy Hired Help Opening Remarks to the FSS—and Ourselves Synoptic Again Look Ahead The Real Thing 6. Weather Details—What They Tell Us VFR—Not Easy MVFR MVFR Is Not Static IFR—Not to Worry Test the Forecast The Late Weather Regulations Aren’t the Important Criteria Pollution and Visibility How Do You Feel? More about Wind Altimeter Setting Temperature and Dewpoint Again PIREPs On the Ground, Too Summing Up 7. Checking Weather for the Route Weather Is Mostly Good Something on Fronts Occlusions and Zippers Large-Area Weather The Important Northeast Corner Go the Short Way It Takes Time to Know Why and If Don’t Fear Weather … … Or Worry about It 8. Equipment Needs for Weather Flying It’s Farther Than You Think Fuel and the Law Fuel Again Instruments and Autopilots Where the Instruments Live We Can Keep It Simple A Little More to Do a Lot Things Can Be Better Even Better The Future Will Be Even Better The Protected Airplane Power for Instruments Lighted Well Paperwork and Gadgets Are Equipment, Too Go Fast Slowly Good Housekeeping An Extra Hand Navigation Radar and Lightning Detection Systems 9. Temperature, an Important Part of Weather Flying Temperature and Density We Better Figure It Out How Hot, How High? Engines Don’t Like It Hot 10. Some Psychology of Weather Flying Self-Discipline Think, for Real 11. Turbulence and Flying It Kinds of Turbulence How We Fly Turbulence Convective-Layer Turbulence It’s Rougher Than You Think Dust Devils Turbulence Near Mountains and Ridges Mountain Waves Turbulence Up High Where Is It? The Tropopause and CAT The Tropopause Is Important Shear