u14 Flashcards
(83 cards)
can you fly over mountain waves
no they extend to tropopause so you’ll feel turbulence no matter what
conditions for mountain waves to occur:
- wind direction to mountain
- wind speed to mountain
- aloft winds
- type of airmass aloft
wind must be within 30º perpendicular to mountain
wind speed perpendicular to mountain must be at least 25 KT
wind aloft must increase with height
stable airmass aloft (inversion)
why does a stable airmass encourage mountain waves oscillations
air rises over mountain, inversion says no and pushes airmass down. it tries to rise again but gets pushed down…
how does stability, wind speed and ridge spacing affect the wavelength of mountain waves
stable atmosphere = short wave length
greater wind speed = long wave length
multiple ridges spaced at least 5 NM apart = more build up = longer wave length
the amplitude of mountain waves is _____ at the surface compared to above the mountain top due to ______
smaller amplitude at surface because of surface friction
aloft waves don’t have any friction so they can get large amplitude
how does stability of atmosphere, mountain height, multiple rides and a sharp downward leeward slope affect amplitude of mountain wave
stable atmosphere = large amplitude
tall mountain = large amplitude
multiple ridges = more build up = large amplitude
sharp leeward slope = large amplitude
you’re flying towards a mountain and don’t see any rotor or lenticular clouds ahead. does this mean there’s no mountain waves?
NO
cloud presence ≠ mountain waves
clouds are only there because airmass is moist
a strong wind will still flow past the moutanin and form mountain waves
lenticular clouds:
- location
- what does a torn lenticular indicate
top of wave crests
torn lenticular = turbulence
due to high wind shear (speed shear) between crest layers which causes turbulence
if you must pass through a mountainous area but see rotor clouds in the distance, where should you fly to avoid the worst turbulence
fly over rotor clouds (but still expect turbulence)
fly around
never fly beneath
cap clouds indicate
a strong downdraft
what are banner clouds
air rises over side of mountain, forms cloud, but as it reaches the top, there’s a strong wind that pushes the cloud backwards so it can’t move on other side of mountain
mountain clouds can tell us _________ of wave crests and rotors but no the ________ of turbulence
location
intensity
your altimeter can over-read by 3000 ft when you’re in a mountain wave! why
greater wind speed = drop in pressure = alt thinks you’re higher than you area
what is funnel wind and how does it affect your altimeter
funnel wind = wind flows through constricted area so increases speed = drop pressure = alt over reads
are large eddies more or less turbulent to fly through at slow speeds
less turbulent when slow since you can ride it out
t/f: heavy plane with high wing loadings can withstand turbulence better
true
convective turbulence
- how does it form
- worse in morning or afternoon?
- avoid how
uneven heating of surface = pockets of hot air rise faster than other sections = sporadic updrafts. also under clouds you have rising and sinking air which makes convective turbulence worse
afternoon
fly over clouds
what is mechanical turbulence and what conditions make it bad
friction between air and ground/terrain
unstable air + rough = terrain = worsens mechanical turbulence
what is frontal turbulence
what 3 waves can it be formed
caused by friction / wind shear between two air masses
big wind difference between fronts
big temperature difference between fronts
when front is moving very fast
what is orographic turbulence
where are the up and down drafts
caused by friction in air currents around a mountain
updraft on windward side
downdraft on leeward side
what is mountain wave turbulence
what are the 3 mountain wave conditions
do you feel MWT worse flying upwind or downwind
after passing over mountain, series of strong up/down drafts aloft
stable atmosphere, wind speed perpendicular to mountain is 25 KT, wind speed aloft increases with height
downwind: plane has faster ground speed so hit bumps faster
t/f: wind shear doesn’t always cause turbulence
true
how does a nocturnal inversion cause low level wind shear
winds aloft uncouple to surface winds at night + higher wind speed aloft = change in wind speed/direction during to and landing
how does a frontal system cause low level wind shear
front can cause a low level jet = wind shear between two