Blake's Aeronautical Science blog

  In my opinion, the weather hazard that poses the greatest risk to aviation operations is fog. For pilots that are not as skilled, fog poses extreme danger and is a potentially deadly hazard. In fact, every year, approximately 440 individuals are killed due to weather-related aviation accidents including the conditions of fog. (National Weather Service, n.d.). Fog occurs when water vapor, or water in its gaseous form, condenses. During this state of condensation, molecules of water vapor combine to make tiny liquid droplets, which produce the fog that make it hard to see (National Geographic Society, 2012). The ability to maneuver in fog depends on the following three factors—the capability of the pilot, the capability of the aircraft, and the capability of the airport (National Weather Service, n.d.). This is why I believe fog is one of the most hazardous weather conditions. Some pilots may believe they are comfortable flying in these conditions when in actuality, it is too diffi...

  The main purpose of the air traffic control (ATC) system is to prevent a collision between aircraft operating in the system and organize and expedite the flow of traffic (PHAK, 2016). I will be comparing and contrasting ground air traffic control and tower air traffic control entities. A ground controller’s job is to be responsible for traffic moving on the ground along the taxiways. A tower controller is responsible for the runways, along with traffic landing and taking off or in the air in the immediate vicinity of the airport (Metzger et al., 2001). Both of these roles are similar in that they are equally important in providing air operations safety. Some air traffic controllers work just one of these positions if at a larger airport. While others at a small airport, may presume the role of both ground controller and tower controller. These roles are also decided sometimes by the traffic of the airport. For instance, the airport may require two separate controllers for ground ...