David Cran on weather and aviation

David Cran on weather and aviation

Author: Gemma Plumb & Aisling Creevey December 21, 2023 Duration: 48:56

David Cran has worked in aviation for the last 34 years in a range of roles including air traffic control, airfield operations, airport manager and meteorological observer. He really is an expert in his field.

He has worked at both big and small airfields, which have handled a range of air traffic from hot air balloons, to big aircrafts such as the A380 and even Airforce One. David is currently the Group Compliance and Assurance Lead for Manchester Airport Group, which covers Manchester, East Midlands and Stansted airports.

In this episode we chat to David about the role weather has on airport operations and how the weather forecasts are put together. We touch on everything from fog to of course the impact snow can have and why it is a lot easier to land a plane on the snow in Antarctica rather than when we have some wet snow here in the UK.

We also discuss the role the changing climate is having on airport operations, and how airports are being asked to look at their resilience to extreme weather events such as high temperatures, intense rainfall and strong winds. As well as this we discuss the importance of taking into account the environmental impacts of the chemicals used when it comes to deicing the plane, both ensuring 100% safety, but also keeping an eye on the impact on the environment.

Thanks so much for listening and supporting the podcast and we hope you leave this episode loving the weather just a little bit more.

If you would like to follow our podcast on ‘X’ we are @4loveofweather and on Instagram @fortheloveofweather.


Ever find yourself actually enjoying a rainy afternoon or wondering why a certain cloud looks the way it does? You're not alone. For the love of weather is the ongoing conversation between meteorologists Gemma Plumb and Aisling Creevey, who have spent over fifteen years forecasting across the UK. This podcast captures the kind of deep-dive chats they've been having for years, moving far beyond simple small talk. They pull back the curtain on what weather really means for our daily lives, drawing on a surprising range of experience. Their professional paths have seen them predicting conditions for everything from major music festivals and national rail networks to agricultural harvests and even ice cream demand, giving them a unique perspective on how the atmosphere connects to the ground beneath our feet. Each episode feels like sitting with two experts who are still genuinely fascinated by their subject, discussing the science behind a storm front, the challenges of a long-range forecast, or how a shift in the wind can change an entire industry's plans. It's a look at the patterns and stories in the sky, grounded in the reality of jobs, life changes, and a shared curiosity that hasn't faded. Tune in for a human take on the forces that shape our days.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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