Can A Plane Take Off In The Rain?

Can a plane take off in the rain? Maybe on a delayed commercial flight that’s been delayed by the weather? It often happens, but is it really caused by the rain?

Usually, these delays aren’t caused by the rain itself but by other things associated with it, such as air traffic control or severe storms.

Modern airplanes can usually take off in the rain, which might surprise you. But there are a few things an airline pilot needs to think about before making that decision. Some of this may also help calm nervous flyers or those with a fear of flying on their next flight.

In this post, we’ll talk about what airline pilots look at to decide if a plane can take off and make a safe landing in the rain and other adverse weather conditions.

At large airports, rain can cause issues outside the plane’s ability that the airline’s flight dispatchers and pilots can’t fix, like air traffic control delays.

1. Rain vs. Severe Storms

One of the most significant differences between commercial airliners being able to take off is the weather associated with the rain and how much rain there is.

Different weather conditions mean a few differences exist between trying to take off in light rain and a thunderstorm. Some of the most important ones are:

• Poor Visibility: Light rain usually doesn’t make it hard to see as much as thunderstorms. Lightning and heavy rain can make it very hard to see during a thunderstorm, making it hard for pilots to see the runway or other obstacles. On the other hand, light rain often does not make it hard to see.
• Windshear: Strong winds or a sudden change in the speed or direction of the wind can be especially dangerous for planes and is often caused by thunderstorms. Because of wind shear, the aircraft can lose lift and not be able to fly. Most of the time, light rain doesn’t cause wind shear.
• Lightning: Even though planes usually don’t sustain much damage from a lightning strike, it can cause delays. If a plane gets hit by lightning, it takes some time for maintenance checks to verify no damage was done. In addition, ground operations such as loading bags and fueling are stopped when lightning is close to the airport. In case of bad weather like lightning, safety precautions have the ground crew remain inside before they resume loading bags.

2. Rain: Does it hurt an airplane?

The rain itself generally does not damage modern planes. Planes are made to fly in different kinds of weather, including rain. Many airplanes have special coatings and materials that help them withstand the weather. Flying through some rain clouds can even be smooth!

Low gray clouds typically mean a smooth ride, while white, puffy-looking clouds will often be found and higher altitudes and have greater turbulence.

3. Air Traffic Control Delays

For several reasons, rain and difficult weather conditions can cause air traffic controllers to distance planes and reduce airport capacity. This can result in delays before you depart, or holding patterns in the air.

• High Winds: Some airports have a reduced number of takeoffs and landings per hour during heavy winds from certain directions. This is because their normal runways aren’t available to use due to the winds not aligning with them. 
• Poor visibility: When the weather is clear, air traffic control can land more planes per hour. The Pilot’s visibility of other planes allows the flight paths to be closer together when landing and taking off. However, when the visibility is reduced by rain or clouds, it usually requires planes to have to land using instrument landing systems. When this occurs, planes must be spaced further apart,

4. Landing Without Being Able To See

When landing in rain and other times with low clouds or reduced visibility or IMC (instrument meteorological conditions), pilots use an instrument approach instead of a visual approach. An instrument approach is where the pilots fly the approach with reference to instruments inside the aircraft, instead of visually.

With an instrument landing system (ILS) approach, a plane can land even when visibility is low. An ILS approach is a landing system that helps pilots land an airplane safely when there isn’t much light.

During an ILS approach, the plane is led to the runway by radio signals and things it can see. The radio signals from the ground tell the pilot where the plane is and what direction it is going about the runway. The visual aids, which include runway lights and other markings, help the pilot see the runway and other obstacles.

The lights help pilots transition from flying via the instruments inside the plane to visually outside the plane.

There are different kinds of ILS approaches, such as CAT 3, which lets the pilot land using only instruments even if there is no visibility. This would be used if there was fog at the airport, but you wouldn’t use it to land in such conditions as rain heavy enough to reduce visibility to zero.

5. Wet Runways 

Even though pilots deal with wet runways all the time, they play a role in taking off and landing in the rain.

One of the most important things to think about when taking off in the rain is how the tires will grip a wet runway.

If there are heavy rain showers and standing water on the runway, the tires may “hydroplane” on the water’s surface and lose all contact with the runway. Most runways at large commercial airports have grooves or small channels in them and are sloped to greatly reduce hydroplaning. 

When a runway is not grooved, the landing and takeoff distance calculations will be increased to account for any increase in landing distance.

6. Rejected Takeoffs On Wet Runways

One of the main differences between a dry and a wet runway is that a wet runway makes it harder to stop in case of a rejected takeoff for a problem like an engine failure.

When the pilot stops the takeoff after the plane has already started to move down the runway, this is called a “rejected takeoff.” This can be a safety precaution if there is a problem with the aircraft. If the plane can’t take off, it must stop on the runway.

For a plane to take off, it needs to reach what is called the V1 speed. The V1 speed is the slowest speed at which an airplane can keep taking off even if something goes wrong. 

The distance the plane needs to travel to reach V1 speed, and then stop if there’s a problem, is called the “accelerate-stop distance.” This distance becomes longer when the runway is wet because it takes longer to stop.

The plane’s brakes can also be affected by runways that are covered in snow or ice. If snow or ice is on the runway, the aircraft will take longer to stop.

7. Wind Shear 

Wind shear is not something that normally occurs from light rain, but one of the biggest threats associated with taking off or landing near a thunderstorm.

Windshear is a sudden change in the speed or direction of the wind. It can be hard to take off in the rain because of this.

Most wind shear happens during thunderstorms, especially when the storm has strong winds or a lot of rain. Windshear can also happen when the wind speed or direction at the ground is very different from that at higher elevations.

Wind shear is mostly a concern when a plane takes off or lands, which is when it is closest to the ground. But wind shear can also happen at other times during a flight, especially if the plane is flying through a thunderstorm or other weather system or over mountains.

Windshear comes in many forms, such as microburst wind shear and gust front wind shear.

• Microburst wind shear occurs when a column of air falls from a thunderstorm and hits the ground, creating strong winds that can affect planes. 
• Gust front wind shear happens when the leading edge of a thunderstorm, called the gust front, moves ahead of the storm. This causes strong winds and direction changes.

Most modern commercial planes have weather radar and other cutting-edge technology that can spot wind shear and let the pilots know about it. This helps to reduce the risk of wind shear.

Airports can use different kinds of systems to find the best way to avoid wind shear:

 

• One common type is the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), which uses radar to detect wind shear conditions in the area around the airport. The TDWR can help pilots see things like wind shear that they might not be able to see with their own eyes.
• Another wind shear detection system type is the Low-Level Windshear Alert System (LLWAS) (LLWAS). The LLWAS uses sensors located around the airport to detect wind shear conditions. If wind shear is found, an alert is sent to the control tower so pilots can be warned of the possible danger.

Overall, many airports have wind shear detection systems to help pilots identify and avoid dangerous wind shear conditions. These systems can be an important tool in helping to ensure the safety of flights during inclement weather.

8. Weather Radar

As was already said, weather radar is a useful tool that can help pilots avoid taking off when the weather is bad. Weather radar can map the immediate area, pinpoint the location and strength of storms, rain, and other types of precipitation, and measure how long it takes for electromagnetic energy to be reflected by the antenna. Pilots can use this information to determine if it is safe to take off and, if so, the route to avoid any particularly severe weather areas.

Pilots use weather radar to help them avoid the worst rain and other bad weather while they are in the air. Pilots can use weather radar to see where and how much rain is falling, how strong the winds are, and other weather conditions.

When pilots use weather radar, they can see a display showing the location and intensity of precipitation in the area around the plane. The display is color-coded, with different colors representing different levels of water droplets. For example, a green color could mean it will rain lightly, yellow is moderate rain, while a red color could mean it will rain heavily.

Using this information, pilots can plot a course around the heaviest rain and other weather conditions to help ensure the safety of the flight. For example, if the weather radar shows a large area of heavy rain ahead of the plane at high altitudes, the pilot may decide to fly around the rain to avoid it.

Often, prior to taking off in the rain, pilots will look at the weather radar just prior to takeoff to determine the best path through the rain after takeoff.

In addition to helping pilots avoid the heaviest rain, weather radar can also help pilots identify and avoid other types of inclement weather, such as thunderstorms, ice, and turbulence. When severe thunderstorms are forecast or expected, the flight will take extra fuel to avoid the most severe weather.

By using weather radar, pilots can make informed decisions about the best course of action to take to ensure the safety of the flight.

9. Windy Conditions

Strong winds can also make it hard for planes to take off and land. While airplanes can take off and land during severe winds that align with the runway of up to 50 mph, the limits are lower for crosswinds.

Crosswinds are when the wind direction blows across the runway. During takeoff and landing, the plane must be able to maintain control and stay on the runway, even in fierce winds across the runway.

There are limits on the maximum crosswind that commercial airplanes can handle. These limits are based on the design of the plane and the capabilities of the pilot and are set by the airplane manufacturer, the airline, and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)

Crosswind Landing! #Aviation4Life pic.twitter.com/qNFXNV0PnE

— Airplane Pictures (@Aviation4_Life) August 16, 2015

During rainy weather and the runway is wet, the limits for large planes on crosswinds for takeoff and landing may be reduced. This is because wet runways can be slippery, which can make it more difficult for the plane to maintain control and stay on the runway. As a result, the limits on crosswinds may be reduced to ensure the safety of the flight.

10. Winter Weather And Freezing Rain

Freezing temperatures and winter storms are important considerations, as they can cause ice on the runway, making it even slicker and more challenging for aircraft to gain traction. This greatly increases the required takeoff and landing distances.

In cold weather, de-icing equipment may clear snow and ice from the runway and the plane’s wings. This causes delays as airport crews de-ice and plow the runways and spray planes with de-icing fluid before takeoff.

When it gets to the freezing point, heavy snow and freezing rain can cause long flight delays and airline flight cancellations, as there are extra restrictions on these types of precipitation. The time allowed between when the ground staff starts de-icing and takeoff are called the holdover time. During freezing rain, the holdover time is very short.

11. Can A Plane Take Off In The Rain? Small Aircraft Vs Commercial Aircraft

While private jets have an experienced flight crew and modern aircraft with advanced avionics, smaller aircraft such as Cessna’s and similar non-jet aircraft often have additional challenges.

A small private plane and private pilot will have more of a challenge flying in rain and clouds than the large aircraft of the airlines due to their limited equipment and training.

Some of the main ways in which light aircraft and private pilots are challenged by rain and clouds include:

Weather radar and deicing equipment: Many small planes and private pilots do not have access to the same advanced weather radar systems used by commercial flights. This can make it more difficult for small planes and private pilots to see and avoid inclement weather, such as thunderstorms and heavy rain. 

In addition, many small general aviation aircraft are not certified to fly in icing conditions during flight, such as snow or freezing fog.

Limited training: To fly in the clouds, a private pilot needs to have an instrument rating and be current. An instrument rating is a pilot certification that lets a pilot fly when there isn’t much visibility, like when clouds are in the way. A private pilot needs to take more training, pass a written test, and fly a test to get an instrument rating.

Once a pilot obtains their private pilot’s license, which allows pilots to operate under visual flight rules, adding the instrument rating takes almost as long as just getting the initial private pilot’s certificate!

To be current, a private pilot must have recent experience flying in low clouds or simulated conditions. Most of the time, this means making a certain number of flights and instrument approaches in a certain amount of time.

Instrument ratings and being current are important for a private pilot who wants to fly in the clouds because they ensure that the pilot has the necessary skills and experience to navigate safely through low visibility conditions. Without an instrument rating and being current, a private pilot may not be able to fly in the clouds legally or safely.

Thanks for reading, contact us here for any questions or comments!