Flying in and around typhoons

[bsevenfour]

Just want to start a discussion about the above subject.

When airborne what procedures do you generally adopt when a typhoon is forecast to cross your route.

Do you believe it is necessary to re route the flight to avoid it and if so how wide a berth do you give it ?

Are there any things that you pay particular attention to when transiting the area in which it is located e.g. rising temperature and it's consequent affects on cruise altitude capability and icing, turbulence etc. ?

As far as landing in typhoons what precautions do you take e.g. ref speed and it's additives ?

Finally does anyone have some good anecdotes regarding flying in and around typhoons ?

Thanks for any input.

[Captain Stable]

If you mean simply a tropical storm, then don't do it.

If you mean a full-blown hurricane, then definitely don't do it.

[411A]

Have generally found when operating in the western pacific (Japan-SIN/CMB for example) that most can be overflown at FL330 or above, but the route of flight should be altered to accomodate engine inop/systems diversions if required.
Have landed at airports in HKG, Japan, Taiwan when approaching tropical storms necessitated much maneuvering to avoid buildups etc but usually flying is suspended when the typhoon approaches.
Interesting NDB approach to the old HKG airport from over CC when the IGS tripped off due to very heavy rain...required maximum attention.

[GlueBall]

En route, at FL 350 or higher, it's just a matter of looking at the radar and making small diversions, just like avoiding ordinary CBs. I doubt that anybody would land or takeoff. Besides, the airports are usually closed during any severe weather.

[Intruder]

A week or so ago I flew TPE-ANC when a typhoon was directly over Okinawa. It was night, but we could clearly see the leading edge of the cloud wall on the radar, 35 NM right of our track. We never felt any turbulence whatsoever.

In general, we plan our route to avoid them, even when palnned to fly at 350 or above. Too many times we're unable to get our requested flight level over the NOPAC routes, and the weather would only make that more likely.

[ShyTorque]

Speaking only as a helicopter pilot previously expected to fly in them for SAR purposes, I would say avoid them whenever possible!

For a helicopter it can be very interesting. I once was unable to get my aircraft (a 5 tonner) to land at all for a period of about two minutes. It stubbornly remained in the hover (in autorotation) as I tried to land on an upslope to rescue some soldiers stranded on a small island off HKG.

Another time we had to land inside a fenced basketball pitch to pick up a heart attack victim. We had 75 knots IAS in the hover at around 70 feet agl, this rapidly reduced to almost zero once inside the basketball pitch. Some very large control inputs were needed to avoid the fence and keep the sunny side up; the turbulence being quite interesting. Unfortunately the patient was already beyond help.

It can be difficult to winch in such strong winds due to the fact that even in the hover the poor winchman gets blown rearwards towards the tail rotor.....

In 1997 (with bated breath) I watched and listened to airliners still attempt to arrive at night at Kai Tak with a 90 kt crosswind; one in particular making three attempts on RW13 followed by 2 attempts on RW31 before diverting. The eye of the storm passed by less than half a mile away that night so the runway changed. The ILS initially failed on 31, resulting in some very interesting R/T conversations, especially involving this same aircraft, the crew of which didn't understand what a PAR was and finally diverted rather than accept that type of approach.

[Centaurus]

Avoiding Cb associated with typhoons no problem if you have serviceable weather radar and know how to play with the tilt and gain controls. But don't even consider setting off towards a typhoon area over the ocean if the weather radar on your aircraft has a history of being dodgy/intermittent - especially a night flight.

I had the unfortunate experience of flying Taipei-Guam at night in a 737 where the radar mysteriously failed without warning although the screen showed green flecks such as one sees when radar reflects off the water below. We were in cloud when we ran straight into the storm clouds surrounding the typhoon eye. We swore the radar was working because there was no obvious sign of failure apart from it not showing the bloody great cloud that we hit. We got thrown around pretty badly for the next 5-10 minutes and frankly it was not an experience I would recommend to anyone.
The hard lesson I learned that night was always closely monitor your radar screen when near typhoon areas and watch for signs of radar unserviceability by continually checking the tilt control for appropriate radar returns. A nice green clean screen could mean a u/s radar.

[Auwkaab404]

Hi,
Bsevenfour, well sir, if you have noticed everyone has recommended not to enter an active storm. Its true, moreover it depends on what type of equipment you are in and where you are flying. I wouldn’t mind flying in or near wx if I am in 747s,but never if flying 737s, or airbuses.

Areas adjacent to Bay of Bengal, Sub-continent, South East Asia got reputation of violent wx. Never even try to get head on with it, I strongly believe “Don’t fear but one should respect the nature”.

Mid-east doesn’t have that frequency of active wx. But if they do develop, they are associated with micro bust or wind shear. That is through personal experience;
Once we were approaching to land at Bahrain, no. 3 or 4 in landing sequence, heard an aircraft going around, pilot couldn’t speak clearly (one can imagine the stress) his speed from approach Speed went up to 260 kts. And he damaged his flaps, lost hydraulics, and don’t know what else. (Aircraft type was Tri-Star) point to note, wx was 40 nm apart, Bahrain in the middle. Sure thing we diverted.

Wish you all, safe landings.:)

[Speedbrake Lever]

Put it this way when there is a Typhoon or anything remotely like it, best advice is to swop your trip. (hehe)

No CB is the term the Met office uses it should be CG
G standing for Granite specially in the Tropical Areas and those who mention 330 or 350 as being well not too bad
I must disagree.

The day anyone disregards Mother Nature and her anger is the day you may !!! live to regret.

S.L.