Anyone flown over a hurricane??

[Disney fan]

Just thinking about all the hurricaine's that have been around this year. What happens if you can't go round them, Can you fly over them.
How will this affect the flight ?? more Turbulence:(

Flying over the pond in a few weeks.


Lynda

[Debbie]

Lynda

Captain Stark actually has been "involved" somewhat with hurricanes this year. I just looked back, and it's in Trip Reports, second to last on the first page.

It'll give you a sense of what happens, and it certainly isn't as bad as you'd think!!

Should give you some insight.

Debbie

[ChiefAtHeart]

I think hurricanes extend too high to fly over. However, they move so slowly I would think the pilot could fly around them. If a hurricane was predicted in your flight path, I think the pilots would choose a different flight plan. Besides that, by November the hurricane season has quieted down quite a bit. I checked with a meteorologist friend of mine last year when I was planning to go to Disney in November. He said that a hurricane has not made landfall in the US in November in something like 15 years.

Jen

[Disney fan]

Thanks Debbie, thanks Jen.


Lynda

[WillFlyToDisney2]

Had to fly over the remnants of one in September. It was bumpy on takeoff and landing but wasnt any worse than a normal rainy day to fly in.

Kelley

[Disney fan]

That makes me feel a little better Kelley.

[Passenger Mark]

Check these guys out...

www.hurricanehunters.com/ (http://www.hurricanehunters.com/) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Aircraft/HHpatch.gif

They fly around, over, and in hurricanes to collect data. Very valuable data. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Aircraft/HHeye.gif

Just shows what an aircraft can take!

[EditorASC]

Yes, we deliberately planned a flight thru the outer region of one to take advantage of favorable winds, on the way to HKG.

No big deal, since they are so large that we would still be well removed from the eye of the storm, where the threat of embedded TSs are more likely. :thundercloud

The flight was relatively smooth, about as good as one can expect for jaunts over the Pacific pond...........

They are called Typhoons, in the Pacific, but same thing as a Hurricane.

The usual reason to avoid the outer portions of a Hurricane, is when the winds are against you, causing a slower ground speed, which wastes fuel and makes passengers late.

If the situation is reversed, giving you a strong tail wind, it can be an advantage so long as embedded TSs are not in that area. Weather radar would reveal any such hazards, long before the plane got there, enabling the pilot to change course as necessary. :beep

The most important concern about Hurricanes, is what kind of winds they will present during the takeoff and landing phases of a flight.

A Typhoon was the strong factor in the August 22, 1999 crash of a China Airlines MD-11, while landing at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport, during a rain storm with strong, gusting crosswinds. :shocked