CAT: Clear Air Turbulence

Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual clues, such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet.[1]

The atmospheric region most susceptible to CAT is the high troposphere at altitudes of around 7,000–12,000 metres (23,000–39,000 ft) as it meets the tropopause. Here CAT is most frequently encountered in the regions of jet streams. At lower altitudes it may also occur near mountain ranges. Thin cirrus clouds can also indicate high probability of CAT.

Flight Planning and Monitoring for Pilots: Study Material

Flight planning is the process of producing a flight plan to describe a proposed aircraft flight. It involves two safety-critical aspects: fuel calculation, to ensure that the aircraft can safely reach the destination, and compliance with air traffic control requirements, to minimise the risk of midair collision. In addition, flight planners normally wish to minimise flight cost through the appropriate choice of route, height, and speed, and by loading the minimum necessary fuel on board.

My First Flight as a Trainee Pilot (Flight Cadet)

 “Sometimes, flying feels too God-like to be attained by man. Sometimes, the world from above seems too beautiful, too wonderful, too distant for human eyes to see.” Charles A. Lindbergh Growing up in India in the 1980s that too in tier II city, I would have been lucky if I got a chance to travel on a plane. Almost every child I had met, dreamt about becoming a pilot. Maybe this was just because we wanted to fly and reach the clouds above, or because we saw in cartoons and…

Flight Instructors

A pilot’s journey begins with a dream, shaped by a flight instructor. A flight instructor who believes in you, who fills winds in your sail, who lights the fire, and shapes your dream with feedback (truth) employing a medium of communication which touches the heart, mind and spirit. Teaching imparts knowledge and instructing imparts skills. Therefore a teacher is one who teaches you about a subject and helps you reach understanding and an instructor is one who instructs you on how to accomplish a task. In reality, quality learning experiences…