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5 Answers

Commercial Pilot Exam, Counter clockwise Lows

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Commercial Pilot, Weather

Ok, this one if driving me nuts. So, the question in the test bank is "When flying with a continual left crosswind in the Northern Hemisphere you are flying into a ?" The answer is: "A low pressure system because of the counter clockwise flow". Ok, I get the counter clockwise flow around a low but how the hell can it always be from one side or the other? The airplane can be oriented in any direction. This makes no sense to me.

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5 Answers



  1. Josh on Dec 22, 2019

    Nevermind. The question should read flying INTO a low.

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  2. KDS on Dec 22, 2019

    Take a piece of paper and draw a series of counter-clockwise arrowed circles. Put an L in the middle for LOW. Take your pen and fly into it. Notice the wind from the left. Turn and fly out of it and notice the wind from the right.

    Does that help?

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  3. Craig on Dec 22, 2019

    I think the question relates to Buys Ballot’s Law….
    https://www.britannica.com/science/Buys-Ballots-Law

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  4. John Scarry on Dec 24, 2019

    That question confused me too when I first read it.

    To expand on KDS. Draw the low and fly into it from the West. Now fly into it from the North, South, East. No matter how you fly into the low, the wind is from the left. As you fy out of it the wind changes and comes from the right.

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  5. Craig on Dec 26, 2019

    A key to understanding the question as it relates to Buys Ballot’s Law (in the Northern Hemisphere) is that the observer has his/her back to the wind.

    See some diagrams here… memim.com/buys-ballot%27s-law.html

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