Environmental Factors that affects an aircraft's performance and safety.

Environmental Factors in Aviation: Performance and Safety. (by Pilot Diego Llorente)

                 In aviation, as an introduction, the study, and analysis about the impact of environmental factors are very important, not only because it will affect aviation safety but also the aircraft's performance. As I always mention, Safety first and preparation help to reach a better performance. In this case, it is not only important pilot's performance. The aircraft's performance is mandatory too. Therefore, It is necessary for this analysis mitigates all possibles risks because over time aviation became not only the safest means of transportation, aviation plays an important role for economies worldwide. What do environmental and safety factors have to do with aircraft's performance in aviation? It has to do a lot for the following reasons.

                First, if I talk about environmental factors in Aviation, I will talk about safety. Safety in aviation is first because safety is everyone's responsibility. The airplane, the passengers, the pilots, the airplane, and also the weather are part of the environmental factors in aviation. In Aviation, everything is important. Environmental factors can affect the aircraft's performance and consequently every pilot's action and thus, the safety of the flight where from passengers, airport, society to the economy of a country are involved. Environmental factors are the major cause of aviation accidents or incidents. 

               The weather is one of the most explicit factors which affect aircraft performance and safety. Everyone knows that aviation is weather-dependent. Environmental factors can be affected highly the aircraft's performance when I am referring to weather conditions. Some of the environmental factors which affect an aircraft performance are: 

                     - Bad weather conditions and poor visibility. 

                     - Atmospheric composition and the presence of moisture and low temps (ice formation) 

                     - Atmospheric hazards like thunderstorms, lighting, hail, icing, wind shear, and more. 

                     - Natural disasters (Hurricanes, Tropical storms, and Tropical storms) 

                     - Aerodynamic performances affected by icing conditions due to the altitudes.

                     - Atmospheric temperature due to the air density. 

 

                All of these Envirmental factors can affect the aircraft's performance. They can also affect pilot decision making. This means that in appropiate weather conditions, the risks of accidents or incidents increase and they can affect seriously an aircraft performance. The most dangerous consequence will be an accident or incident. Every metereological phenomenon can affect the integrity of the flight, pilots inputs and flight systems. Factors related to atmospheric conditions have greater negative impact to influence the performance of flight. Factors related to meteorological and geographical are also dangerous for aircraft flight performance, especially the flight instruments. For example, ice formation can affect the pitot-static system and engines performance involving the airplane on a very difficult situation. 

               In conclusion, Environmental factors such as meteorological factors are dangerous for every aircraft performance. It is very important to consider that environmental factors affect all that is concercing to a flight from startup to the landing. Pilot should manage every situation which affect aircraft performance to mitigate risks and their possibles causes and consequencies. Every environmental factor due to aviation is serious and statistics indicate that this is one of the major causes of accidents and incidents adter human errors. 

References 

Advances in Aerospace Science and Applications. ISSN 2277-3223 Volume 4, Number 1 (2014), pp. 73-78

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 7th Edition, 2020 Copyright (Seventh ed.). American Psychological Association.

A D Graaff (2000), Aviation Safety an Introduction, Air & space Europe, 3, 3/4, pp. 203-205.

 

Administration, F. A. (2017). Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (Federal Aviation Administration): FAA-H-8083-25B. Skyhorse.