Weather You Really Shouldn’t Ignore
This type of cloud, with an anvil‑shaped top, signals strong updrafts and the potential for thunderstorms.
Cumulonimbus
This term describes when a pilot continues a flawed plan despite cues that it’s unsafe, often during approaches.
Get‑there‑itis / plan continuation bias
This component mixes fuel and air in many piston aircraft engines before sending it to the cylinders.
Carburetor
This propeller blade angle setting produces the most thrust for takeoff by allowing the engine to turn at higher RPM.
Fine Pitch
This aerodynamic term describes the point where airflow separates from the wing, causing a rapid loss of lift.
Stall
This weather product shows areas of significant turbulence, icing, and convective activity for pilots.
SIGMET
This illusion can occur during rapid acceleration, causing a pilot to feel as though the nose is pitching up.
Somatogravic illusion
This type of detonation‑related engine issue occurs when fuel‑air mixture ignites before the spark plug fires.
Pre-Ignition
This aerodynamic force on a propeller blade causes the blade tips to try to straighten outward as RPM increases.
Centrifugal Effect (force)
This phenomenon increases induced drag at high angles of attack and is strongest at low airspeeds.
Wingtip Vortices
This type of fog forms on clear nights when the ground cools rapidly, chilling the air above it to the dew point.
Radiation Fog
This psychological effect causes pilots to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive, even when later evidence contradicts it.
Anchoring Bias
This turbine engine section squeezes incoming air before it enters the combustion chamber.
Compressor
This effect causes the descending propeller blade to produce more thrust than the ascending blade, contributing to left‑turning tendencies.
P-Factor
This aerodynamic effect increases lift on the advancing wing and decreases lift on the retreating wing during a roll, causing the aircraft to yaw opposite the direction of bank.
Adverse Yaw
This frontal feature can produce embedded thunderstorms and severe icing, and is characterized by a cold front overtaking a warm front.
Occluded Front
This hazardous attitude involves disregarding rules and procedures because the pilot believes they don’t apply to them.
Anti-Authority
This turbine engine parameter, often abbreviated ITT or EGT depending on design, must be monitored closely to avoid thermal damage during start and climb.
Turbine inlet temperature
This mechanism in a constant‑speed propeller automatically adjusts blade angle to maintain a selected RPM despite changes in airspeed or power.
Propeller Governor
This aerodynamic phenomenon reduces induced drag and increases lift efficiency when flying close to the surface, often causing aircraft to “float” during landing if approach speed is too high.
Ground Effect
This invisible hazard forms when warm rain falls through a sub‑freezing layer, coating aircraft surfaces with a smooth, heavy glaze that can drastically reduce lift and increase stall speed.
Freezing Rain
This cognitive phenomenon occurs when a pilot becomes so focused on one task or instrument that they miss critical cues elsewhere in the cockpit.
Fixation
This phenomenon occurs when a turbine engine’s compressor cannot maintain stable airflow, causing pressure fluctuations, loud bangs, and potential flameout.
Compressor Stall
On some aircraft, when a constant‑speed propeller suddenly loses oil pressure, this fail‑safe design feature causes the blades to move toward this high‑drag, low‑RPM condition to protect the engine.
Feathered Position
This high‑speed aerodynamic phenomenon occurs when shockwaves form on the wing, causing a rearward shift of the center of pressure and a sudden nose‑down pitching moment.
Mach Tuck