World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[indyjonesohio]

My last meteorological course was in undergraduate studies at Penn State many years ago but the answer may lie in the fact that the entire tropopause (the boundary between the first layer of our atmosphere and the second layer or stratosphere) is volatile. We only call it a jet stream when it is fast and useful but even a 35mph wind with some wind shear or clear air turbulence can be deadly to a fragile airship. We may want to speak in terms of tropopausal winds and wind effects.

The classic FAA guide Aviation Weather says this:

Why is the high altitude pilot interested in the tropopause? Temperature and wind vary greatly in the vicinity of the tropopause affecting efficiency, comfort, and safety of flight. Maximum winds generally occur at levels near the tropopause. These strong winds create narrow zones of wind shear which often generate hazardous turbulence. Preflight knowledge of temperature, wind, and wind shear is important to flight planning.

Focusing on the jet stream may blind us to the fact that it is the relatively wild weather of the tropopause that makes it hard for an airship to pass through it unscathed whether there is a jet stream present or not. Just a suggestion. Best regards, IndyJonesOhio