Aircraft : $b its development in war and peace and its commercial futureDavid, Evan John
History
Aircraft : $b its development in war and peace and its commercial future
David, Evan John
Aeronautics; Airplanes
A general knowledge of the movement of the clouds is a valuable asset
to the flier, for they indicate the air-currents and also the condition
of the atmosphere in their neighborhood. Unbroken clouds indicate
smooth-flowing air, while the more a cloud is broken the more bumpy the
air-currents are in that neighborhood. From the formation of clouds
then the atmospheric conditions may be realized by the pilot before he
flies into them. In general the following types of clouds indicate
certain specific facts to airmen.
A mackerel sky, called technically Cirro-Cumulus, which is formed of
small globular masses, or white flakes showing only light shadows,
or at most only very light ones, or arranged in groups or in lines,
usually at a height of 10,000 to 25,000 feet, denote fine weather, and
for commercial flying afford ample opportunity for smooth flying below
that altitude.
Very light, whitish wisps of clouds, fibrous in appearance, with no
shadows which appear at 30,000 feet altitude, or more, are the highest
clouds in the firmament, are called Cirrus or Mare’s Tails, because
they are scattered like hair over the sky. They indicate wind and a
cyclonic depression.
The next clouds in altitude are the Cirro-Stratus, which float 29,500
feet, and look like a thin sheet of tangled web structure. They are
whitish, and sometimes completely cover the heavens, giving it a milky
appearance. This cloud is one of the most beautiful, and often creates
moon and sun halos. It indicates bad weather.
The Alto-Stratus is a thick extensive sheet of bluish or gray cloud,
sometimes composed of a thick fibrous structure which is very dense and
impossible to penetrate with the eye. They are at an average height
of from 10,000 to 23,000 feet, and cause a luminous crown or aureole
around the sun or moon.
Woolpack Clouds, or Cumulus, as they are designated, are thick, and
the upper surfaces are dome-shaped, with many sharp protuberances,
and with horizontal bases. They are low-lying and indicate violent
disturbances of the air, and are dangerous for any kind of aircraft
when passing above them or through them.
Thunder-Clouds, or Cumulo-Nimbus, are formed in heavy masses rising
in the forms of turrets, mountains, or animals. They are usually
surrounded by a screen or sheet of fibrous appearance, having its base
in a similar formation. The highest points of these clouds reach an
altitude of 10,000 to 26,000 feet, and they are as low as 4,000 feet at
the base. They indicate lightning and terrific gusts of wind, and are
very dangerous to aerial navigators.
The whitish-gray globular masses partly shaded, piled up in groups and
lines, and often so thickly packed that their edges appear confused,
are called Alto-Cumulus. They are arranged in groups at an elevation of
from 10,000 to 23,000 feet. They do not look unlike the mackerel sky.
The cross-lines indicate strong currents of air.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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