5A Hudson Miller How Nature Can Affect Flight

Although the information seems repetitious, the locations of the closest emergency exits may be different depending on the aircraft that you fly on and seat you are in. Some passenger safety briefings include a few words about the position to take in an emergency landing, and AiSafe.com has put together a video below that goes into much greater detail, showing six common crash positions.

The way an aircraft tries to dissipate these step leaders is through the use of something called a "static wick". A static wick is a piece of metal connected electrically to the frame of the aircraft, with one or two spikes or needles on the end.

Turbulence is the random, chaotic motion of air, caused by changes in air currents. From inside an airplane, it can range from minor bumpiness that can jostle the cranberry juice on your tray to powerful jolts that can structurally damage the plane and injure its passengers.

Several factors combine to make some volcanic eruptions a danger to aircraft. The first is that the particles in volcanic ash are composed of hard materials, such as rock, glass and sand. The second factor is that when these particles are ejected high enough, they may be picked up by the high winds that can disperse them over large distances. A third factor is that the dust plume is not dense enough to be easily seen by airline pilots, but it is dense enough to cause severe damage to the engines, which may cut out and fail. Failure happens when the fine dust particles block up the air vents.

“Another problem, more often seen in industrial jet engines is where the turbine cooling holes become blocked. This will cause the turbine blades to increase in temperature and fail, potentially destroying the engine. A further problem area is the combustion systems of the engines which can become clogged and again the engine looses power.”