<p>"Microbursts" -- Bill Nye for NSF50
</p><p>Fearless Bill Nye visits a busy airport runway to tell us how scientists and engineers found a way to help planes avoid microbursts.
</p><p>Credit: NSF
</p><p>Audio Transcript:
(AIRPLANE NOISE)
</p><p>"Hey, Bill Nye The Science Guy here celebrating the National Science Foundation's 50th anniversary from the airport runway.
</p><p>(LOUD PLANE)
</p><p>Oh, that was close.
</p><p>Anyway, we all know that scientists and engineers helped us get off the ground. And now they're looking at ways to make flying safe from microbursts. These are quick bursts of intense wind. When they occur either at takeoff or landing the effect can throw a plane off course and spell danger for the passengers and crew.
</p><p>With NSF support scientists are discovering how microbursts occur, and they've developed techniques to identify these winds. This helps pilots safely takeoff and land in microburst conditions, and the research has led to a required training program for all pilots worldwide.
</p><p>I'm Bill Nye The Science Guy inviting you to join me and the National Science Foundation in celebrating fifty years of science and engineering discoveries.
</p><p>(AIRPLANE NOISE)
</p>
Whoa!"
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Foundation" class="extiw" title="w:National Science Foundation">National Science Foundation</a>
2000
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