9.2 Microburst
Weather has many different forms and vary wildly between regions. It is important to know what the weather forecast is before you take off on your flight. One of the most spectacular weather phenomenon that poses a huge hazard for aviators is a microburst. They are a tricky bit of weather that is very hard to detect even with todays advanced radar systems. A visual identification of a possible microburst is virga under cloud bases, particularly under towering cumulus clouds. Virga consists of rain droplets that evaporate before reaching the ground, and has a wispy or shredded appearance (1). Microburst are formed after a strong downdraft that normally occurs over a horizontal distance of 1-2 miles and vertical distance of less than 1000 feet. They can generate wind speed over 100 knots and at a decent rate of 6000 feet a minute! Microburst are a small violent explosion of wind and rain that can wreak havoc on airplane no matter the size. A famous example of this took place i