The environment is a beautiful, and dangerous thing. Take flying out of the equation, and harsh weather conditions still pose a threat to everyone regardless of their location. When you add flying in an aircraft into the mix, the possible hazards that can arise from inclement weather multiply. Although there are many environmental conditions that can wreak havoc on an airport attempting to provide flights for passengers, there is one in particular that stands out as the most common cause of cancelled flights, therefore posing the biggest concern for airport managers. Rain.
Rain may sound like a vague and simple weather condition that doesn't have many drawbacks, however, the problem with rain is that it usually doesn't come alone. Rain is often times the first sign of a storm coming. Rain itself not only causes low visibility for pilots, but also for the ground crew and tower. This alone is a very dangerous situation to attempt flying in. Often times after rain, comes high winds especially higher up in the air from temperature changes. Rain also poses a risk of fog, which adds to the low visibility issue. And finally if that wasn't enough, rain causes a major concern for icing conditions at higher elevation and in colder climates.
When weather conditions like this come into play, airport managers are forced to make an educated decision with their team of experts to determine if the flight is too much of a risk and should be canceled, or if they are still able to fly. This is somewhat of a lose-lose situation because if they approve the continuation of the flight, and the weather gets much worse, then the airport manager can be held liable for any injuries or damages. Alternatively, if the flight is cancelled for safe measure, the airport loses a lot of money giving refunds to customers as well as many customers will be unhappy, regardless of how at fault the airport is for the inclement weather conditions. Luckily for the customers, weather caused cancellations are almost always refunded; on the flip side, however, the airlines are usually not so lucky.
Although there is not much that can be done about rain causing low visibility, and causing possible icing conditions, I believe we can help prevent such problems with a better insulated material for the aircraft we use. We may have many ice detection and anti-icing parts systems on our aircraft, but if we could somehow make a material that could retain heat and even emit heat on the exterior of the aircraft, that would help prevent any issues with icing hazards.
Word Count: 434
Sources:
At What Point Do Flights Get Cancelled Due to Weather?. (October 30, 2019). Travel Refund.
Retrieved on February 24, 2022 from https://travelrefund.com/articles/when-do-flights-
get-cancelled-due-to-weather/
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