During an inadvertent encounter with a microburst, what sequence of wind changes is a small UA likely to experience?
Why: The Remote Pilot Study Guide describes the microburst wind sequence: "the small UA may first experience a performance-increasing headwind, followed by performance-decreasing downdrafts, followed by a rapidly increasing tailwind." This sequence can result in terrain impact or flight dangerously close to the ground.
Describes a single, gradually fading tailwind, missing the dangerous three-phase headwind-downdraft-tailwind sequence that makes microbursts so hazardous.
Invents a slow-building crosswind over a timescale (30-60 minutes) far longer than a microburst's actual 5-15 minute lifespan, and omits the direction reversal entirely.
UA.III.B.K1 · Source: remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 23-24 · Reviewed 2026-10-22