I've never felt comfortable taking flight while it's dark and pouring rain. There was something about it that made the flight scary. I know it's not real, but in the movies, rain usually represents something bad is about to happen, or it already did. Some aircraft don't have windshield wipers like a vehicle does. Can the pilot see, will we have a smooth take-off, will we make a safe approach for landing? All these thoughts seem to rush through my head the most when it's raining. What I never thought about is the systematic way rain affects an aircraft.
Before an aircraft can enter service, the FAA must certify the new engine can handle water ingestion by testing the design. It's a precaution that's generally successful, but still, over the years, several incidences of power loss during a rainstorm have been reported. Rain can be an aerodynamic penalty to the surface of the aircraft, particularly its lifting surfaces. Whether it's coming down hard or light, it can ruin the airflow, and as the rain and air mix, the air density and velocity are reduced, causing lift to decrease and drag to increase. Rain ingestion through the cowling can significantly affect performance and operability. It gets onto your non-water-resistant components such as the alternator, sparkplugs, wires, magnetos, and other things you wouldn't want to get soaked.
The flying experience must be unpleasant for the pilot and passengers. As rain hits the cabin windows I'm sure the pilots' vision is a bit disorientated. The heavier the rainstorm, the greater the noise generated throughout the cabin. Another thing to consider would be your fuel tanks. Obviously, the cap is meant to keep contaminants out but if your aircraft is outside and exposed to weather deterioration can occur. Water can still find a way to enter the fuel tank and dilute it which won't be good while flying. If too much water gets into your engine during a flight prepare for an emergency landing.
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