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Here are some great tips to keep in mind on those hot days ahead.
1) Stay a good distance from storms. Aim to be at least 5 miles away, and if possible, up to 20 miles.
Flying too close to areas with visible storm clouds poses a risk of encountering hail and severe turbulence, which can be detrimental to your plane and its passengers. In some cases, aircraft have experienced hail, strong wind shear, and severe turbulence even up to 20 miles from storms. So, when in doubt, it’s better to be cautious and maintain a safe distance.
In hot weather, you deal with high density altitude and reduced performance. For most normal GA airplanes, for every 1,000 feet of increased density altitude, you can expect a takeoff roll increase of around 10%. For instance, if your airport’s density altitude on a hot day is 3,200 feet above the field elevation, your takeoff roll will increase by approximately 32% compared to an ideal standard atmosphere (ISA) day. If your takeoff roll on an ISA day is 1,500 feet, it will increase to almost 2,000 feet on a hot day with increased density altitude.
When dealing with a windy day, the FAA recommends adding half the gust factor to your final approach speed to give yourself a safety buffer from a stall. Let’s say the winds are reported at 18 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. The gust factor in this case is 12 knots (30 minus 18 equals 12). So if you take half the gust factor, it becomes 6 knots (12 divided by 2 equals 6). For our Cirrus, for example, we fly at a final approach speed of 85 knots. On a day with a 12 knot gust factor, we would add 6 knots to the published 85 knots, resulting in a final approach speed of 91 knots. This same math applies to the final approach speed of any GA airplane. Simply add half the gust factor to your final approach speed.
What other tips and tricks are you using this summer? Share them in the comments below.
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