Training gives you both the knowledge and the instinct — Page 181, Lesson 275

I want to walk you through the recommended windshear recovery techniques and, more importantly, what determines whether a pilot actually recognises windshear in time to apply them. Let’s start with the foundation: recognition and reaction times are largely a function of training. That means the more you train, the faster you spot the first sign of windshear, and the more confidence you have to apply the recovery technique without hesitation. Training gives you both the knowledge and the instinct. Now, where do those indications come from? There are several sources. You might see it on your flight deck instruments — the primary flight display, airspeed indicator, vertical speed indicator. You might have special on-board windshear warning equipment that gives you an aural or visual alert. You might receive a windshear warning from air traffic control or from another pilot’s windshear report. And finally, you might pick up external MET clues — meteorological clues — like dust devils, virga, or a dark roll cloud on the horizon. But here’s the critical point: whether you recognise those instrument and MET signs, and how quickly you do it, depends on two things. First, whether you have been forewarned to expect windshear — if you know it’s possible, you’re alert to it. Second, the extent to which windshear has figured in your training. So training is the key that unlocks everything. Now let’s look at the two specific windshear scenarios the excerpt describes, because they are opposites. First scenario: an abrupt decrease in headwind component, or an increase in tailwind component. What happens? Your indicated airspeed will decrease, and it will decrease by exactly the amount of the lost headwind component. But here’s the tricky part — your ground speed does not decrease. So you’re losing airspeed without losing ground speed. That means you lose lift, and during any approach phase, you will get an increased sink rate. This is an energy loss situation. The only remedy is to apply engine power — you have to add thrust to compensate for the energy loss and accelerate the aeroplane back to the approach reference speed, which is your target speed on final approach. Second scenario: an increase in headwind component, or a decrease in tailwind component. This is the opposite — it is an energy gaining situation. Your indicated airspeed will increase with no increase in ground speed, and that gives you greater lift. But the excerpt tells us this gain in energy is temporary, because the gain will be compensated in additional lift — the aeroplane will climb or balloon. And because the energy gain is temporary, and because the flight phase is such that a gain in height is required, no control action would be required. The desired climb rate and indicated airspeed will quickly be re-established on their own. So to summarise: energy loss from a headwind decrease or tailwind increase requires immediate power addition. Energy gain from a headwind increase or tailwind decrease requires no action — it self-corrects. And in both cases, your ability to recognise the situation and react correctly comes down to your training.