Pilots brace for tough landing at city airport

Pilots brace for tough landing at city airport

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:05.03.2021 

It’s that time of the year when pilots flying into Chennai will expect a go-around as soaring temperatures will make the airport notorious for wind shear and crosswind.

With the temperature in the suburbs edging closer to 35°C making the day hot and humid, pilots who fly into the city have started to experience turbulence while landing. “This is the season when landing is tough at the airport. There will be wind shear because the ground heats up fast. Usually, the trend of sudden shift in the wind at low level will start in the second week of March. We fly carefully, ready for corrective action,” said a pilot.

Incidence of wind shear has been increasing at the airport in the past few years during summer while constant presence of crosswinds has made pilots wonder whether the wind direction is changing gradually.

“Planes float away because of the sudden shift in wind. Information about wind shear and crosswind will come from the airport but we also check with pilots who have landed to find out about their experience,” said another pilot.

In addition to the routine precautions about safety manoeuvre, airlines have included crosswinds and wind shear landing in simulator training done closer to the summer months. Pilots undergo a simulator training every six months.

However, crosswind is not risky in Chennai. “It is a risk only if it is 90° with 25 knots speed but we see only mostly 70° with 18 to 20 knots. That is not much. Training is given for pilots and there will be constant alerts about the wind condition,” he said.