PLT317: Microbursts and Wind Shear
What code PLT317 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Microbursts and Wind Shear before your checkride.
Recall microburst - characteristics / hazards
What this means for your checkride
A microburst is a small, intense column of sinking air within a thunderstorm or rain shower that spreads out violently at the surface. An airplane flying through one meets a strong headwind, then a downdraft, then a sudden tailwind, and that reversing wind shear can exceed the climb capability of a light aircraft near the ground.
Microbursts have caused fatal approach and departure accidents, so the FAA tests their characteristics, the short duration, and the imperative to avoid the area and go around.
Pilots read the initial headwind gain as good news. The performance-increasing headwind is the front side of the microburst; seconds later it reverses to a downdraft and tailwind that rob lift exactly when you are low and slow.
Where to study it
Practice questions on this code
Real questions from the Aviator IQ bank that test this exact area. Answer each to see the correct choice, the full rationale, and the FAA source.
Which statement best defines wind shear?
Oral checkride defense
A code on your report is an area the examiner can revisit. Here is how an examiner might probe it, and how to explain it out loud.
Define wind shear and name its most dangerous low-level form.
Wind shear is a sudden, drastic change in wind speed or direction over a small area. Its most severe low-level form is a microburst, a small, intense downdraft that spreads out at the surface and reverses the wind you meet on approach.
You get a sudden headwind gain on short final. Why is that a warning?
That performance-increasing headwind is often the leading edge of a microburst. Seconds later it can reverse to a downdraft and tailwind that rob lift when I am low and slow. The response is to go around immediately and avoid the area.
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.