AeroSavvy

AUGUST 20, 2021

I spent a few months researching aircraft performance and high altitude airport flying techniques. Density Altitude Piston engines, wings, and propellers lose efficiency as they climb to less dense air at higher altitudes. As altitude increases, air molecules spread out, resulting in less power and lift.

Density Altitude 52

Density Altitude OAT Airplanes Fixed Base Operator 52

Chess In the Air

JULY 4, 2022

Most western pilots have patiently worked such lift for an hour or more while waiting for conditions to improve near their destination airport. They made the decision to loiter long before descending to pattern altitude and sometimes miles away from the airport. Possible causes include: Rotor turbulence, e.g. on wave days.

Wind Shear 52

Wind Shear AGL Lift Runway 52

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

To get the extra lift required for the turns, I had to dive to get extra airspeed so that the plane could turn at that same AOA. And some made it as high as 100 feet but were still consistent with the spirit of FASF. That produced a strange traffic pattern with roller coasters at the corners.)

General Aviation 98

General Aviation Pilot Approach Airplanes 98

Air Facts

APRIL 17, 2024

He helped me tie down and then offered me lift to the ranch. As pilots, we are taught density altitude; we are taught to fly with the wind and with the direction of flowing water in the mountains; yet we are left to teach ourselves how to account for our own limitations. I spent the day looking out on what used to be seashore.

Density Altitude 52

Density Altitude Pilot Turbulence Lift 52

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

He only needed a glide ratio of 14:1 to reach the airfield to arrive at a typical pattern altitude of 1,000 ft AGL. There were some patches of moderate lift and sink as would be expected on a normal summer soaring day. 65 kts IAS given the high density altitude. The reduced sink rate must have been a relief.

Pilot 52

Pilot AGL Wind Shear Runway 52