Preparing for more complex navigation
Flying is all about our motion through the same environment that generates all manner of weather. This issue, we will examine some of the basics that better prepare us for more complex navigation techniques which will lead into our next navigation exercise.
Air pressure
Air circulates through the atmosphere partly because warm (less dense) air rises and cooler (more dense) air settles. As these pools of air rise or fall, the air pressure within them also rises and falls. For example, a column of air rising causes a lowering of air pressure at the Earth’s surface at that site. Conversely, as dense air from the upper troposphere descends, the air pressure at that point on the Earth’s surface increases.