Rain, a destructive nuisance for aircraft

     Rain is something we deal with in our lives but generally dismiss. It gets your clothes wet, makes your car handle moist and cold, but other than its usually minor effects, goes ignored. In aviation it is a major concern as water can cause severe long-term damage to aircraft. Sometimes the damage can be sudden, as rain obscures a pilots surrounding view, but also, it can flameout an engine! The general trouble with rain comes from freezing temperatures as this can cause stalls, or, freeze aircraft structures leading to many other serious issues and situations.

    What I really want to talk about regarding rain is moisture and corrosion. Water is an issue for aircraft as it causes corrosion. It also can cause other destructive problems, if an aircraft's fuselage isn't sealed properly, standing water in the plane can damage avionics, or if unnoticed, corrode internal structures. Corrosion has caused many fatal accidents in the aviation industry. One of which impacted me directly as corrosion in a propeller caused a KC-130 crash killing my best friend and fellow servicemen. 

    Dehumidifying aircraft is a huge benefit to promoting a functional and far less worn aircraft structure. Operating in high humidity environments such as Japan leads to moisture build up and it is easy to just shutdown an aircraft and walk away. The issue is now any water in the aircraft is left to hopefully evaporate, in the meantime it is left to penetrate any surfaces it comes into contact with causing higher maintenance costs or even further any unseen structural damage. 

Do planes fly in the rain? Everything you need to know (2019, March 15) Robert Scrader

    https://www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/do-planes-fly-in-the-rain#:~:text=Rain%20can%20affect%20an%20aircraft%E2%80%99s%20ability%20to%20land,generally%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20impair%20a%20plane%E2%80%99s%20ability%20to%20land

Controlling nuisance moisture in commercial airplanes (date unknown) The Boeing Company

    https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/textonly/m01txt.html