Weather Hazards: Hail Storms

Hello Again Readers!

In this module I will be talking about the effects and danger of hail storms towards airplanes.


It has been known that hail storms are very rare to occur and it only happens to countries and locations that accumulate snow or have low temperatures. When it does happen, multiple damages can occur not only to the aircraft, but also the company as well, not to mention it jeopardizes the safety of the crew and passengers. So what damages can hail storms do to the aircraft, and what are the results of having these components damaged? For starters we can talk about the windshield, getting damage here can restrict the vision of the pilots, depending on how severe the hail, it could penetrate through and can cause more harm (Roche 2018). Next is the Radome, although the whole fuselage would take damage, the radome itself has a lot of important systems behind it, it can destroy the radar, glide slope, localizers and many more (Roche 2018). Lastly, we have the engines, damaging the engine during climb or descent is very dangerous and could lead to engine shutdown (Roche 2018). These are physical damages that can occur to the aircraft when there is a hail storm. Having a damaged bird means the plane requires additional time on the ground for inspections and repairs, meaning this will lose profit for the airline or operator.

In conclusion, this is why I have chosen Hail Storms as a severe weather, although it happens rarely, but when it does happen it can have multiple damages not just physically, but also financially to the operator.

Thank you for taking your time on reading my blog post. I hope everyone enjoyed this class.

-Ralph

References:

Roche J.B. (2018 September 3) How does Hail Affect Aircraft? Retrieved from:

https://www.jbroche.com/how-does-hail-affect-                                                                                       aircraft/#:~:text=Hail%20can%20cause%20problems%20for%20aircraft%3A%20Flights%20are,you%20reach%20it%2C%20especially%20during%20a%20night%20flight.

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