Enhancing Microburst Pedagogy: Visual Clues for Aviators

Abstract

A particularly uncompromising type of wind shear results from the meteorological phenomenon known as the microburst. This paper addresses the preliminary phase of an ongoing longitudinal study designed to enhance microburst pedagogy. An initial survey has been distributed to aviation faculty members at universities across the United States to collect data on the length of time they allot to teaching microburst recognition skills. These educators have been introduced to graphics that, it is hypothesized, will make their treatment of the topic more enduring. Subsequent data will reveal whether the use of these graphics significantly increased the time spent teaching microburst recognition and avoidance.