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Aviation vocabulary · Aviation Weather

Visibility

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/ˌvɪzəˈbɪləti/nounCore term

In aviation, visibility means: The greatest distance at which objects can be clearly seen and identified, reported in metres or kilometres in most countries and in statute miles in the US.

In Turkish: görüş, görüş mesafesi

How it is used

Found in METARs, ATIS broadcasts and approach briefings. Low visibility from fog or snow can delay or divert flights. The value measured along the runway itself is called runway visual range (RVR).

Example sentences

  1. Visibility at Istanbul is down to 400 metres in fog.

  2. Low visibility procedures are in force, so expect longer taxi times.

Common collocations

  • low visibility
  • good visibility
  • visibility drops
  • low visibility procedures
  • reduced visibility
  • METARA routine weather report for an airport, issued every 30 or 60 minutes in a short code: wind, visibility, weather, cloud, temperature and pressure.
  • ceilingThe height above the ground of the lowest layer of cloud that covers more than half of the sky. A low ceiling can make an approach impossible.
  • ILSInstrument landing system: radio signals from the ground that guide an aircraft left-right and up-down to the runway, so it can land in low cloud and poor visibility.
  • divertTo fly to a different airport from the planned destination, for example because of bad weather, a medical emergency or a technical problem.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Aviation Weather

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