2.3 - The Operating Environment and Aircraft Performance
Wind shear: It can literally blow you out of the sky. This deadly effect is a drastic change in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance. Of these, one of the most dangerous types of wind shear is the microburst. A Microburst is a downward burst of wind. Although microbursts are most frequent with severe thunderstorms, even light thunderstorms or even clouds with isolated showers can produce a microburst (Stiver, 2017) . The most common cause of microburst is downward pressure produced by cooling due to evaporation within a cloud (National Civil Aviation Agency - Brazil, n.d.) . Microbursts are most dangerous on landing and taking off, as they can rapidly change your altitude. Many aircraft have been claimed to microburst throughout the years. Among the most notable of them and heavily researched is Delta Airlines flight 191 tha...