Friday, June 28, 2013

Low Air Pressure outside of Planes

During times of high heats on the ground (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and also at higher takeoff and landing altitudes, low air pressure usually associated with high heat on the ground can cause more difficulty in takeoffs and landings and in the air because the air is "thinner" during  these times so an aircraft is less well supported than in normal air pressure times. So, during the high heat times in the west some flights might be cancelled or postponed because of this for safety issues. Likely flying fully loaded for planes during these times might be more of a problem than during regular times, especially at high  altitude airports like Denver and Santa Fe and others above 5000 feet in altitude. Also, during hotter times there may be more up and down drafts around mountains as well which might make it more dangerous for both small or large planes that might get caught or directly or indirectly affected by these increased up or down drafts caused by extreme heat.

All winds are caused by the movement of heat up into the air at various places which causes a suction of air moving to another place to replace the air going up with the heat. So, if you understand that the movement of the planet combined with heat rising causes most variables in winds and that these winds affect the placement and movement of planes  along with how dense the air is in any given spot where it is flying it might be useful to know this if you are going flying soon.

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