Ask My Sky Mom. Aviation wit and wisdom.

Hey Sky Mama,

Ok, so I have some questions about air marshals. How do you become an air marshal, and how many air marshals are there, anyway? What kind of training do you have to do to be an air marshal? My uncle is a police officer in a small city and I’d like to be in law enforcement, too, but a little different than what he does and I always liked planes.

Thanks,

Just Wondered

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Well, my wondering buddy,

How many air marshals there may be is a closely guarded secret, but those in the know estimate that it’s something less than 4000. How many there are on a given flight varies depending on whether there’s any intelligence indicating a potential problem or is simply based on the locations in question. Some flights will almost never see an air marshal and some flights will nearly always have one. Or two. Or three. The officials issuing assignments won’t give out any more information than that in an effort to keep the bad guys guessing.

How do you become an air marshal? Well, firstly, you have to know what it is you’re applying to do. The TSA lists the job description as follows:

“As a Federal Air Marshal, you will detect, deter, and defeat hostile acts against U.S. air carriers, passengers, and crews. You will be an armed Federal law enforcement officer, deployed on passenger flights worldwide to protect airline passengers and crew against the risk of criminal and terrorist violence. You will perform investigative work and participate in multi-agency task forces and in land-based investigative assignments to proactively fight terrorism. As a Federal Air Marshal, you will promote public confidence in the safety of the nation’s aviation system as a “quiet professional” in the skies.”

And how, pray tell, do you put yourself in line for such a gig? In order to be eligible, you must be a US citizen under the age of 40 who can successfully pass a background check. You can apply here. If accepted, there will be two phases to your training. The first phase consists of law enforcement classes, training in behaviorial observation, and classes in marksmanship. Air marshals are said to have the highest firearms qualifications standards among the federal agencies. In the second phase, you hone those skills through scenario based training and work your way through various exams and proficiency tests to make sure you’re up to par in both knowledge and skill. When you’ve met all the requirements, you’ll be assigned to one of 21 field offices where your work will begin in earnest.

Sound about right to you? All right, then. Behave yourself so the background check doesn’t cause a problem, and fill out that application, already! Good luck,

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi Mom,

My question revolves around the current requirements for renewing a flight instructor certificate.

I currently hold an ATP certificate and an expired CFI, CFII, and MEI certificate. I haven’t flown in about 8 years and because I have recently been laid off from my “regular” job in I.T, I am looking into renewing my instructor certificate and doing some part time instructing.

What would be required of me to renew my certificate?

Thanks,

ReUp Me

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What’s up, ReUp?

Welcome back! Do you want the good news first, or the bad? The unfortunate news is that since that thing has expired, you’ll have to go back and take the check ride again. The good news is that you’ll only have to take one check ride to get all of your old privileges back. There’s more good news, too- this check ride won’t be the same grueling ordeal your initial certification was. Call your friendly FSDO to find out if they want to fly with you or farm you out to a DPE. Since you’ve been a CFI before, odds are decent that they’ll send you the way of the examiner, but you’ll need to talk to them to be sure.

Most of what they want to know is whether or not you still know how to teach.Yeah, you have to be able to fly, too, but nobody is expecting perfection here. As long as you can talk your way out of your error (explaining what didn’t work out well, why not, and what you should have done), you shouldn’t have a problem. As always, expect them to probe your ground knowledge until they find it’s limit, at which point you’ll gracefully research the point in question in front of them. You know the drill. You’ve done this before, numerous times, to get that II and MEI listed on your ticket. Speaking of which, you probably won’t have to demonstrate instrument instruction or multi engine instructional skills. Reupping that CFI will automatically return all of those privileges. Scary, hey?

Once you have that certificate in your hot little hand, you can keep it current in one of two ways. If you have at least 5 students pass check rides over the duration of that instructor certificate and your proteges have at least an 80% first try pass rate, you’re good to go. Just present the FSDO with that record and an 8710 and away you go again for two more years of getting into airplanes with people who don’t necessarily know how to fly them. If that doesn’t work out for you, there are numerous flight instructor refresher courses available online and in person, like this popular AOPA/Jeppeson course. If you didn’t already have all those ratings, racking up another (adding an II or MEI) would be another way to get yourself another two years of flight instructor fun. Or even reinstated, for that matter. Oh, and of course you haven’t forgotten that you’ll also need a current medical and a flight review in order to act as pilot in command.

Welcome back! Knew you couldn’t stay away from the airport forever,

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi!

My name is Jasmina. I’m 16 years old, in 11th grade, and I’ve always liked airplanes and flying. My dream is to become a pilot one day and own my own plane. I have so many questions for you! But first, I just wanted to know if they give scholarships to young women going to college to learn how to become a pilot.

Hope to hear from you soon, and thank you!

Looking for My Road to the Runway

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Hello Jasmina,

It’s refreshing to hear your enthusiasm for the life aloft! “They” do indeed give scholarships to young women going to college to be pilots, in fact, quite a few different “theys” are in on it. With the economy currently in recession, it’s true that there are fewer scholarships available, but they can still be found. I maintain a list of aviation scholarship sources, though it’s by no means complete. Check here, and apply for as many as you might be qualified for! Really. Flight training is an expensive endeavor, and whichever route you pursue can quite easily require the resources of more than one organization or individual. I’ll continue adding to the list as I hear of more. As a future female pilot, a few sources of special interest to you will include the 99s and Women in Aviation International. As a high school student, you should also seriously consider the EAA Young Eagles program. As a future college student, I’d also encourage you to try the University Aviation Association (over 100 sources of collegiate scholarships and grants!)  as well as contact the financial aid office of whatever school(s) you’ve got your eye on. Often, they’ll know of more opportunities tailor made to meet their program requirements. The sooner you start investigating, the better your odds. Some scholarships are offered to qualified applicants on a first come, first served basis and you’d hate to be left out in the cold because you dithered.

What an exciting goal you have! Please don’t let the difficulty you may encounter in financing your dream keep you from chasing it down. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Sometimes it just takes a lot of will. Finding yourself a group of pilots and student pilots will help keep you motivated and moving forward while you figure out which way to go and how to get there. EAA, the 99s, Women in Aviation International, and whatever local pilot group lurks near your home airport can help provide the camaraderie, the practical advice, and the inspiration we all need when pursuing a dream of this magnitude.

Blue skies to you, my friend, and let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help!

Mom

P.S. Keep checking back. As I get word of more scholarships, I’ll keep adding to the list.

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi SkyMom!

I’m hoping you hear this a lot and I’m not a failing student pilot. I’ve got about 50 hours logged since last June-the first 15 hours with a CFI that didn’t work out (I didn’t learn a thing!), followed by a month long break trying to decide if I could live without flying my own aircraft. I decided I would probably stop breathing if I didn’t fly, so I recommitted to a very experienced CFI. I’ve learned a ton! I soloed at the end of October and in between dreary weather have flown solo in my 150 about 6 hours. We’ve done 2 dual x country trips and are gearing up for the simulated instrument and night flying. I try to fly twice a week. I’m studying for my written next month and I hope, hope, hope to get my ticket in May or June.

Here’s my dilemma-I feel stuck. I think I’m supposed to be flying around on my own, logging hours and gaining confidence and solo experience. I’m still limited to my home airport and within 25 NM, which is a good thing cuz I’m finding I’m pretty chicken sh*t when it comes to a lot of stuff! I feel like I’ve lost any courage I had. It seems like something scary happens each time I fly alone, and then I’m afraid to tell my CFI because I don’t want to let him down. I love taking off, I love leaving the pattern and messing around with maneuvers and all, but when it comes to going home, I seem to stress out every time. Specifically, entering the pattern. I usually fly over midfield and try to join in on a 45 to the downwind leg. The last few times, though, I’ve had to do go arounds on my first 2 landing attempts because my approaches were a mess!

The first time, there was a Skyhawk in front of me and a Bonanza behind me. The Hawk took this HUGE extended downwind. I could have been a jerk, cut in line, and landed before he even knew it-that’s how far downwind he went! I even asked if he was leaving the pattern and boom, he turns base right in front of me. I freaked out and left the pattern to the right (it’s a left pattern). The Bonanza was right on me! So I ducked down 200 feet and came around again, but was so rattled I was way too high and made another go around, landing fine on my third attempt. That was 2 weeks ago. And then this same scenario happened AGAIN last week-I was overtaking the experimental in front of me, and a big bird was catching up to me…

Is this typical? I’m afraid to slow down too much as I’ve been known to come in too slow with lots of flaps. My CFI teaches us to fly a tight, steep pattern (in case) but it seems that’s not what others are doing and now I’m really flustered and frustrated.

What should I do?

Thanks in advance,

F&F

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Frankly, Flustered, I’m Finding Your Flying Fine! Here’s Why-

Let’s start with the things you’re doing right, which are many. Regardless of whether instructor numero uno was objectively good, they weren’t any good for you. Instead of letting this derail your dreams, you were brave enough to find another one and try again. Good for you! Shooting to fly twice a week is an excellent goal, by the way, and probably (along with your winner of a CFI) is one of the reasons you sound so well on track for your 50 or so hours. It sounds as though your lessons are progressing just the way they should and on a reasonable time table. And don’t let me forget to congratulate you on your solo, the first one and those that came after! Really. It’s always exciting to hear that another student pilot who has been working hard at it is getting to realize their dreams.

Congratulations are also in order for your wariness. Yes. It sounds like you’ve been turned loose at one hoppin’ uncontrolled field, which frankly, can be one of the hardest things to navigate safely and comfortably. You seem to understand the proper procedures for pattern entry and safe maneuvering in that traffic pattern. Honestly, it sounds like you’ve got good situational awareness. You knew where the other traffic was every time, no mean feat when you’re flying your own itty bitty bird and making sure all your ducks are in a row. And you had the good sense to get out of the pattern when you couldn’t figure out what to do safely, go around when the landing wasn’t happening, and keep your ego from getting  in the way of a second go around. You are a model student. I’m not kidding. The one thing I’d quibble over is that you haven’t yet told your hallowed CFI about these hair raising adventures of yours. You won’t be letting him down. You’ve been solving your problems well so far. He should know about that and also know about your drop in confidence. Really. What will probably help is some more dual pattern work at the busiest times of day you two can find. If you’re soloing, your landings should be in fine shape but the fine art of compensating for what every other yahoo pilot in the world calls a traffic pattern can take years. Or at least a few extra hours.

Now this airport of yours-is it out betwixt the farm fields, or wedged into a corner of the city? This makes a difference. See, your CFI is right. If the engine fails, it’s nice to be able to glide to the runway and we all know how far 150’s don’t glide. If, however, you have other acceptable off field landing options in the vicinity of your airport, you may be able to ease up on the tightness of your pattern without undue guilt or terror. It pains me to say it, but you are only safer flying that tight pattern if it  doesn’t cause interference with the rest of the pilots in the pattern. I agree. Too many fly way too far out, screwing up your landmarks and sense of security. We’d all be better off if they stayed a little closer to home, but such is life. Never trust a pilot. Ever. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. Have your head on a swivel and always have an out: Out of a landing, out of the pattern, out of the sky and into a field if it comes to it. If you’re ready for anything, it won’t be such a shock when that other pilot pulls some boneheaded maneuver. Sadly, some people fly a little faster than they think. If you’re ready for ‘em, though, you should be all right. Just wait for the one who enters on a right base from above without calling…

Really, though, it sounds like you’re doing everything right except sharing your qualms with the person in the best position to help you overcome them. Fess up, get a little more practice when it’s hairy out there, and consider trying to schedule your solo fun at times of day when you’re less likely to have to dodge every home builder and corporate jet jockey who wants a piece of your runway!

Ooh, and have fun,

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hey Mom,

I just wondered why exactly I can’t use my cell phone on the plane. I mean, they let you use the internet now, and they’ve been letting us use THEIR phones for years. So what gives? Why not my harmless looking little cell phone?

Thanks,

Hang On, I’ll Have to Call You Back When I Get There

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Don’t hang up, Hang On! We’ll get this figured out yet.

So why not? Well, the main technical concern is potential interference with navigation or communication equipment. How likely is that? Not very. Shielded wiring and associated support structures have been in use to prevent these sorts of issues since the 60’s. Still, a break in the shielding is all it might take to cause…deviations.  Mythbusters famously did a piece on this, with mixed results: The phone DID cause interferance with VOR equipment outside of an actual aircraft, but then when they tested in a well shielded Hawker (on the ground) there was no apparent deviation. Anecdotally, I’ve heard more than one story about a regional pilot who’s cell phone went off at an inopportune moment, causing noticeable glideslope interfence. The bottom line is that there are so many different potential navigation systems in place and so many variations in cell phone signal and power that the liability involved in testing all possible combinations could be prohibitive. Neither the airlines nor the FCC has been sufficiently motivated to pony up the funds to find out with certainty.

The other frequently proffered story is that the cell phone companies have petitioned the FCC to outlaw cell phone use in flight because of the number of cell towers your phone will connect with at altitude. Now we have channel reuse issues, decreasing overall system capacity. This can be mitigated by installing the appropriate equipment in the aircraft, which is being done more and more frequently. Basically, the equipment funnels all calls made from a given plane to one of several preselected stations, thereby eliminating the blanket impact on all stations passed. Cool.

This last argument may be the most convincing: Do you really want to listen to that boring weirdo next you yakking on, maybe for hours, about what they’ve been up to lately? Yeah, me neither. Most people don’t. The demand for quiet times during long flights or phone free areas has as much to do with passenger peace and consideration as anything else. As the technology to allow us to talk to the ground bound as we zing  through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour in a pressurized metal tube continues to become more widely available, we may see the issue of passenger preference and a new form of air rage take center stage. Emirates has been allowing phones on planes for some time. Check out this interview for some interesting statistics related to that experience.

In the meantime, DO mind your flight attendant. Do NOT forget that the person wielding the drink cart can have you thrown off the flight for failure to comply with crew member instructions. And please, be considerate in your cell phone usage, be ye skulking around at the airport waiting for your flight or already aboard. Those couple of hundred people about to board with you really, really did not want to hear about that rash.

Talk to you later. Call me when you get there,

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi Mom,

I’m not even a pilot yet, but I thought you might be the one to ask. Does it ever happen that somebody starts learning to fly but can’t finish because they just can’t do it? It must come up. How do you know if you just don’t have what it takes, and as a pilot instructor, how do you tell someone if you can tell that they aren’t going to be able to do it? Can you usually tell right away, or does it take a while? I just wondered. I’m hoping to start learning to fly later this year and was just curious about what happens in a situation like that.

Thank you, and wish me luck!

Ready For Takeoff,

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Hi, Ready, let’s see if we can’t give you the clearance you’re looking for.

Should I ask if there’s something specific you’re worried about in terms of your capacity for learning to fly? If there is, tell your flight instructor of choice right off the bat so that she/he/they can help you find your way around it from the beginning. That said, in my experience, most people who want to can learn to fly. It’s just that some of them will take a lot longer to do it, and spend an extraordinary amount of money in that very long process! Of course, there are exceptions and if this is you, it will usually become obvious to both student and instructor fairly early in the game and become still more obvious as the lessons progress (or fail to). Keep in mind, though, that it’s usually worth your while to have patience as learning is not a linear thing and many, if not most, student pilots will get frustrated with the process at some point. A slow start doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get there. A lot of it has to do with what kind of experiences you’ve had before you plunged into your flight training. Have you driven tractors/go carts/boats/lawnmowers or anything else? Have you learned any new skills in the last few years? Are your study skills up to snuff? Are you afraid of the airplane, so much so that it impairs the learning process? Is airsickness getting in your way? Does the rest of your life allow you to keep a consistent enough lesson schedule that your practice is paying off? Any of these things can make your progress slower than what you’d like to see.

To be realistic, many student pilots underestimate the amount of time, effort, and money required to land that license. 40 hours is the minimum, with 75 hours being the national average in the US. That 40 hour minimum is highly unlikely. It simply isn’t realistic for most people if the AVERAGE is nearly double that. Keep this in mind when gauging your progress; there’s no sense in beating yourself up over this. If it was easy, they wouldn’t be requiring all this training and testing in the first place, now would they? The other thing to keep in mind is that most student pilots will also get frustrated enough to quit before it’s all said and done, often for the reasons listed above. Know what helps? Tell your instructor about it. Ask them to tell you exactly where you are in your training, exactly what it will take to get you to the next level, and precisely how they expect you to do that with details about how you’ll both know when it has been accomplished. Perfection is never required. Instead, we have a very objective list of requirements in the PTS (Practical Test Standards) so you’ll know precisely what will be on each check ride and the standards you’ll have to meet or exceed to pass it.

I have seen a few very students commit whatever resources were necessary to the project when it became clear that they were on the long road to certification. And they were successful. I’ve also seen quite a few decide that, due to the unanticipated length of the training process and the associated expense, this wasn’t what they’d signed up for. Both legitimate decisions. No honest instructor can tell you when you walk in the door how long it will take to make you a safe pilot, but after having spent some time flying with you, we can usually give you some sort of estimate based on your past progress and present rate of learning. And this can and will change, so don’t be shy about asking where you are in the the syllabus and then asking again if the situation seems to be shaping up differently than anticipated.

Yes, there are a few people who just should not be pilots. For some, situational awareness isn’t consistent enough. Others don’t respond consistently or quickly enough, don’t make good decisions, or don’t respond well to changing conditions. Flight training tends to be very stressful and less than rewarding in these cases. Most often, the student recognizes this and makes the decision for themselves, although rarely, it can surprise them when the instructor points out the concerns and recommends discontinuing training. Often, if this is the case, this is not the first time the person has come up against these limitations in their life. If you have concerns about these things, please discuss them with the person getting into the airplane with you. Sometimes the difficulties are insurmountable, but most often your capabilities will be stretched by your aviation experience, and you’ll be able to take that growth with you into the other arenas in your life.

Your concern about this is (statistically, at least) unwarranted, unless there’s more to the story than you’ve told me. You don’t have to tell me if there is. Instead, discuss your concerns with your flight instructor at the beginning of your flight training and continue that dialogue as your training progresses.

Have fun, be patient with  yourself, and study study study….

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi Mom,

I really enjoy reading your blog. I’m a private pilot with 267 hours who has been working on my instrument rating for a while now. I own a Cherokee that I fly for fun. I look forward to finishing my instrument rating so that I’ll feel more comfortable going on longer cross countries, the kind where my wife and I can stay for a few days without having to worry quite as much about how the weather might change during that time and how we’ll get back home again. Anyway, my question has to do with the reason that I’m supposed to make the correction on the outbound leg of a holding pattern three times as great as the inbound correction. It seems to pretty much work but it doesn’t make sense to me. I know I need to turn into the wind whether I’m flying inbound or outbound, but why triple the correction on the outbound part?

Thanks for helping me understand,

Going Around in Circles Over This

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Hey Circling,

The answer is surprisingly straightforward. Consider this:

1) The inbound is easy. Once you get the needle centered and figure out what heading to hold to keep it centered, you have the number you need. Let’s say you have to turn 10 degrees to the left on your inbound to continue tracking your course. Good. 10 degrees to the left. Hold that thought, pardon the pun.

2) Now you cross the station and make your outbound turn at a sedate and predictable 3 degrees per second, our familiar standard rate turn. Guess what? That’s approximately one minute where the wind is blowing you off course and there’s not a thing in the world you can do about it.

3) Ok. So here you are on your outbound leg, turning 10 degrees to the right to counter the wind. Works beautifully, EXCEPT THAT YOU AREN”T MAKING UP ANY OF THE GROUND YOU LOST during that outbound turn. You’re getting no further off course, to be sure, but neither are you gaining back what you lost in the turn due to the crosswind.

4) And then for the inbound turn. Yup, that’s another 60ish seconds where the wind continues to push and you, my friend, continue to drift off course.

The long and short of it is that the outbound heading is not only about the outbound. You’re also making up for the effects of the crosswind in the turns where you dutifully maintained standard rate and thus lost ground. That’s effectively 3 legs out of the 4 you find yourself having to correct for in one fell swoop. Triple correction, baby, right there. Get my drift? Now, keep practicing. Round and round and round you go…

Expect further clearance at 18Z (you DID report established and jot down that EFC time, right? RIGHT?!?),

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Dear SkyMom:

We live in Poplar Grove and recently experienced several days of “freezing fog” which coated the trees in the area and continued to accumulate over the days, because the temps were in the 20’s and it wouldn’t melt. My beautiful wife noted how pretty it was. I said if it was similar to the icing in the clouds that an airplane experiences she wouldn’t be so impressed, but rather scared. Just 20 miles north, into Wisconsin, there was no evidence of this in the trees, just like unpredictable icing.

Can you enlighten us on this phenomenon?

Thanks,

Your Fascinated, Freezing Friends

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Well hello, my favorite fabulous freezing friends!

Right you are, freezing fog is a condition caused by supercooled water droplets. What does that mean? The surface tension of water prevents it from freezing unless it is in contact with a surface or has formed around condensation nuclei from a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius (32F) down to around -40C, where it will freeze, regardless. Should these supercooled water droplets  find themselves in contact with a surface at a temp below zero, they’ll form a lovely coat of ice. This explains how you get such gorgeous frosted formations on the trees, the hangars, and any other convenient collecting surface unlucky enough to be skulking around below freezing, which surely does include the surface of your airplane. In flight, freezing fog stops being pretty awfully fast. Freezing fog can cause a rapid buildup of ice on the surface of an aircraft moving through it as supercooled droplet after supercooled droplet meets the chilled skin of the plane. Bad deal. If an aircraft isn’t certified for flight into known icing, don’t even think about it. Even if you ARE certified for it, think again. The rate of accumulation is impressive, occasionally akin to that of freezing rain. This is just not a place you want to be. It makes a much better day for photography than for flying.

Freeze frame: Your wife is right; it’s very beautiful. And you are right; from inside the cockpit, it’s really, really not. Isn’t it fun to find one more thing you two can agree on? Glad to hear that you’re enjoying the weather from the ground when conditions won’t allow you to take to the air,

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hullo Mum,

It isn’t exactly an aviation question, but since it’s weather related I expect it’s close enough. I suppose you’d know what causes thunder? I know I had learned this when I was in school, but I don’t remember and I’ll bet a few other people will be interested, too.

Thanks,

The Latest Noisy Flasher Who Wants His Question Answered

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Whoa Flash,

How can a weather question NOT be aviation related? We’ll take it. So what is thunder? Let’s not put the airplane ahead of the towbar or the thunder ahead of the lightning. Can’t have thunder without lighting, after all, so what is it that causes said lightning? Well, thunderstorm updrafts, dangerously fast rising columns of air within a thunderstorm, cause a tremendous amount of turbulence inside and for quite a distance around the cloud (I shouldn’t have to tell you that you don’t want to be flying anywhere NEAR this type of stuff. You already knew that). While scientists still bicker over the precise mechanism, they do agree that with all that motion, electrons are sheared off the particles rising through that atmospheric mayhem. Those electrons then tend to gather on the descending particles within the roiling cloud, leaving us with a positive charge at the top and a negative charge at the bottom. As the storm rages on, the updrafts continue to increase the charge differential from the top of our cloud to the bottom.

Air provides a reasonably good insulator until the charge differential grows too large. The stepped leader is the invisible electrical tentacle that shoots down from our storm, zigging and zagging quickly as it searches out the best nearby conducting path. The return stroke from the ground, a neighboring cloud, or even from elsewhere within the same cloud provides the electric zap you see and call a lightning bolt. One “bolt” can be anywhere from 1- 20 return strokes.

OK, fine. We have lightning-where’s the thunder? Lightning suddenly increases the temperature of the air to about 30,000 degree Celsius, or about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Yep, that’s hotter than the surface of the sun. The sudden, dramatic expansion of that superheated air followed by the rush of air to fill in the gap after the contraction provides the thunder clap. Actually, to be even more precise, the slight tearing sound you may notice just prior to the strike is the sound of the invisible stepped leader and the click just before the crash of the main bolt is the sound of the return stroke. As the speed of light will always trump the speed of sound, the lag time between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder increases with increased distance.

What do you need to know about lightning and airplanes? They don’t mix well, though the larger the airplane, the safer you’ll be. Most airplanes are designed to withstand a lightning strike more or less gracefully, though lightning is far from the only thunderstorm hazard. The updrafts, downdrafts, icing, hail, downbursts, and tornadoes give you a whole slew of good reasons to stay on the ground until the storm has safely passed.

Hopefully we’ve managed to illuminate the issue for you. Now stay out of trouble. Check the weather, check it again, and watch out for pop up thunderstorms, all right?

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.