Discussion»Questions»Environment» Phoenix was 122F yesterday and will be 120F today. 40 flights have been cancelled due to the heat. Ever hear of that before?
Denny Kelly spent nearly three decades as a commercial pilot. He said that these cancellations are all related to the size of the airplanes being used. “The engines don’t produce as much power at the higher temperatures,” Kelly said. And as it gets hotter, the air gets thinner and pilots are forced to increase speeds in order to get off the ground.
That is simply not possible with a smaller aircraft.
According to American Airlines, the larger planes can handle the heat. But the smaller regional aircraft, which often operate in smaller cities, can only withstand temperatures under 118 degrees. That is normally not a problem, but the forecast in Arizona this week has temperatures soaring near 120 degrees.
Thank you for the thoughtful, useful, helpful and very informative reply tom. I had never heard of flights being cancelled due to extreme heat. That does't mean it didn't happen before. Just that I had never heard it. Happy Thursday! :)
I can just imagine how inconvenient the flight cancellations must have been for those who were traveling due to business, not pleasure. The elements will have their way with us when, where and how they wanna. Thank you for your reply tom and Happy Friday! :)
Yes, Rosie. I know. I am in the thick of it. It really doesn't seem that bad to me, who has been here for years and years.
But when I first came down here, it felt like I was living in an oven turned up high. It felt so dry and hot with no relief at all since I came from such humid states as Chicago and Florida.
Now, I hardly notice. But I automatically know to stay indoors and in cool air during this hot spell. It is still better to me than the 6 months of winter in the Eastern parts. Or the very Northern parts. Brrrrrrr never again with the below zero stuff. Or the tons of snow to deal with. That is even worse.
I lived in Massachusetts for 5 years. My son was born during a n'oreaster. I had my share of driving on black ice, covering his face with a woolen shawl if I had to take him out when he was a baby and it was way below freezing. But I STILL would take that over the triple-digit temps we suffer through in Hemet. We moved here because it was cheaper to live here than in Riverside. That was in Nov ember 2007!. Where we would LOVE to live is at the beach but unless we win the lotto we will never be able to afford to do that. It had better happen soon. At our ages we don't have a lot of time to waste or with which to gamble. Thank you for your reply Shar. I never asked but what caused you to move to Arizona in the first place? I understand that the northern part of the state is at higher elevations and is really beautiful and significantly cooler. But I expect it costs more to live there too! :) Keep cool. Our air conditioner (25 years old) finally broke down a few weeks ago so our landlord had a brand new one put in. We are enjoying it a lot. We were told it is more efficient so it will cost less to operate. One can only hope that is true! :)
I have been told that planes landing in Houston (and probably Phoenix) have the most trouble landing in extreme heat. The surface of the tarmac is so intense that landing a plane is dangerous in such extreme temperatures. Landing on ice is pretty damn scary, too!!!!
tom jackson 