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Too hot to fly? The effects of heatwaves on air travel

Too hot to fly? The effects of heatwaves on air travel

This weekend, we learn how hot weather makes air less dense affecting airplane's performance. Airplane engines and wings can have reduced performance and aircraft may experience difficulties in climbing and remaining in the air.

Most airplanes have a harder time generating lift in high temperatures.
This may cause airlines to reschedule flights or offload passengers, bags, or fuel.
Expanding runways and enhancing aerodynamics may reduce heat-related inconveniences in air travel in the future.

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Too hot to fly? The effects of heatwaves on air travel

Hot weather makes the air less dense. What does this do? Well, it reduces the performance of airplane engines and wings which may lead the aircraft to experience difficulties in climbing and remaining in the air.

The recent extreme heatwaves are already affecting the way we fly. Weight and balance issues have forced some airlines to offload passengers, luggage, or fuel to compensate. In the future, extreme heatwaves could cause increasing numbers of flights to be delayed or even canceled due to safety concerns related to the extreme weather.

As the planet heats up and we see more heatwaves like this summer, what will be the effect on air travel?

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How does heat affect airplanes?

Planes need to overcome gravity to fly. They do this by creating a lift with their wings. They do this by creating lift, which is an upward force that counteracts gravity. One of the ways that planes create lift is by using their wings, which have a special shape called an airfoil. The airfoil shape makes the air flow faster over the top surface of the wing and slower under the bottom surface. This creates a difference in air pressure, which pushes the wing up.

This is part of the explanation for lift based on Bernoulli’s principle, which states that faster-moving air has lower pressure and slower-moving air has higher pressure. However, this is not the complete explanation, as there are other factors that affect lift, such as the angle and shape of the wing, the speed and direction of the plane, and the viscosity and turbulence of the air.

The lift also depends on how fast and how dense the air is. The density of air changes with temperature and altitude. When the air is colder or lower, it is denser and has more molecules that can create pressure for lift. When the air is hotter or higher, it is thinner and has fewer molecules that can create pressure for lift. This means that planes need to adjust their speed and wing angle to fly in different conditions.

Want to know more? Read the full article.

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