What happens when you fly thru a cloud while raining?

What happens when you fly thru a cloud while raining?

Planes flying through clouds can increase rain or snowfall by as much as a factor of ten, scientists in Finland have discovered. This intensification of precipitation is not caused by emissions, say the researchers, but by ice crystals created as the aircraft’s wings pass though cloud layers above active rain or snow.

What is the white trail behind planes?

These clouds are contrails, short for condensation trails. Water vapor is one of the byproducts of jet fuel combustion and will turn into ice crystals in the cold air at the high elevations where jet airplanes fly. Those ice crystals create a cloud (the contrail), which does not pose any public health risk.

Can a plane pass through clouds?

Flying an airplane through most clouds is similar to driving through fog. You can’t see as well as before but apart from that everything else is the same. It is just water vapor, no different than experiencing fog on the ground. However if it is what is called towering cumulus clouds, then turbulence will happen.

Can planes fly through heavy rain?

Flying in Heavy Rain Rain doesn’t usually affect a flight much. Combining with hefty winds causes extra challenges to flight planning. The combo can even cause a change of route or a delay if the conditions are extreme. But generally speaking, airplanes are well-equipped to deal with a bit of the wet stuff!

Why do pilots avoid large cumulus clouds?

It is often said that the turbulence can be extreme enough inside a cumulonimbus to tear an aircraft into pieces. Thus, cumulonimbus are known to be extremely dangerous to air traffic, and it is recommended to avoid them as much as possible.

What causes rain to fall from the clouds?

Within a cloud, water droplets condense onto one another, causing the droplets to grow. When these water droplets get too heavy to stay suspended in the cloud, they fall to Earth as rain.

Why can’t planes land in the rain?

Namely, that if rain on the ground is too heavy, the pilot cannot see well enough to land the aircraft; or accompanying weather conditions can make an unsafe landing impossible. Aircraft tires are extremely heavy-duty, so rain generally can’t slicken the runway enough to make landing unsafe.

How does rain form on the surface of Earth?

Dew is water vapor that has condensed back onto Earth’s surface—on grass or a car’s windshield, for example. In the cloud, with more water condensing onto other water droplets, the droplets grow. When they get too heavy to stay suspended in the cloud, even with updrafts within the cloud, they fall to Earth as rain.

What happens if it rains too much for a pilot?

Very heavy rain can impair pilot visibility. If rain is too heavy, the pilot’s visibility can be impaired, which can make it unsafe to take off, thereby preventing his or her aircraft from flying. In rare circumstances, heavy rain can also cause a plane’s engine’s to “flameout,” though pilots can usually re-ignite them.