Let’s face it, aviation has its share of challenges. Icing, turbulence, bird strikes… the list goes on. But dust storms? They’re the kind of weather phenomenon that makes even seasoned pilots raise an eyebrow, or maybe even a clenched fist.
So, can aircraft, those metal birds we entrust with our lives, actually fly through a dust storm? The answer, as you might suspect, isn’t quite as simple as a yes or no.
Dust storms, for those of you who haven’t spent much time wandering the Gobi Desert, are essentially airborne sandblasters, courtesy of Mother Nature. They’re most common in arid regions – think the American Southwest, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia, where the wind whips up fine particles of dust, reducing visibility to something akin to staring into a particularly opaque cup of coffee.
This creates significant issues when you’re trying to navigate a multi-million dollar aircraft. The 2011 dust storm in Phoenix, Arizona, for instance, was an event still talked about at aviation cocktail parties, not in a fun “remember that one time” way. More like, “remember that near miss?”
The key to understanding this conundrum is the potential for engine damage. Those seemingly harmless dust particles, once ingested into a jet engine, can wreak havoc. Imagine tiny, airborne grit blasting against delicate compressor blades. The effects can be truly disastrous.
As Professor I.M. Overstressed, Chief Aeronautical Engineer at the Institute of Dusty Disasters, once quipped, “You wouldn’t shove sand into your car’s engine, would you? Well, neither do jet engines like it, even if they’re built by Rolls-Royce.” (Professor Overstressed, by the way, is also rumored to have a collection of dust-covered model airplanes; an aviation enthusiast, indeed.)
Reduced visibility is another significant issue. Pilots rely heavily on instruments, but even the best radar has its limits. Airports facing dust storms often implement Low Visibility Procedures (LVPs), which reduce the number of flights and, unsurprisingly, cause delays. And we’re not talking about your garden-variety, “oh, the flight’s delayed by an hour” kind of delays.
We’re talking about, “well, you could be landing in Khartoum…” which in some cases has been a fatal decision. As Captain Dusty Bottoms, veteran pilot and purveyor of questionable aviation anecdotes, puts it, “You’ve got to see the dust cloud as a runway – and hope the runway sees you!”
So, can aircraft technically fly through a dust storm? The answer is, yes, sometimes… at least until the engines start to seize up, or the pilots get into trouble. It’s more of a gamble than a guaranteed safe passage, a bit like playing Russian roulette with the weather. Best practice? Avoid the dust. It’s a hard lesson learned for some.
The next time you’re boarding a flight, perhaps consider a quick glance at the weather report. And if you see a dust storm brewing? Maybe reschedule. Your aircraft (and your wallet) will thank you for it.
BONUS VIDEO: Watch This C-17 Making A Gigantic Dust Cloud
