What can pilots do to avoid lightning?
Due to their size, smaller aircrafts are struck by lightning less frequently. Large aircraft and commercial planes are equipped with weather radar (called Doppler radar) and also receive information from ground radar. Doppler radar measures the direction and speed of a moving object, such as drops of precipitation. Dense water particles assist pilots and flight control centres in identifying where the storms are located. Pilots can choose to take an alternative route or fly at a different altitude to get around the thunderstorm. In certain cases, they can fly above the storm. Pilots also receive weather reports before departure and regular updates on weather conditions throughout the flight. What is turbulence? Turbulence is air movement that normally cannot be seen. It may occur when the sky appears to be clear and can happen unexpectedly. Turbulence can be created by a number of different conditions, including atmospheric pressures, jet streams, mountain waves, cold or warm fronts, o
