Why high temperatures can make planes too heavy to take off
Our planet's rising temperatures are making it harder for planes to take off at certain airports, presenting yet another challenge to civil aviation. And as heatwaves become more frequent, the problem could extend to more flights, forcing airlines to leave passengers on the ground. "The basic challenge facing any aircraft as it takes off is that planes are just very heavy, and gravity wants to keep them on the ground," says Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK. "In order to overcome gravity, they need to generate lift, which is the atmosphere pushing the plane up. Lift depends on several factors, but one of the most important is the temperature of the air -- and as the air warms up it expands, so the number of molecules available to push the plane up is reduced. Planes get 1% less lift with every 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) of temperature rise, Williams said. That's why extreme heat makes it harder for planes to take off -- and in some really extreme conditions that can become impossible altogether," he said. The problem particularly affects airports at high altitude, where the air is already naturally thinner, and with short runways, which leave the plane with less room to accelerate. According to Williams, if a plane requires 6,500 feet of runway at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), it's going to require 8,200 feet at 104 degrees (40 Celsius). Williams and his team researched historical data from 10 Greece airports, all of which were characterized by high summer temperatures and short runways. They found a warming of 1.35 degrees Fahrenheit (0.75 Celsius) per decade since the 1970s.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-11-04/general/why-high-temperatures-can-make-planes-too-heavy-to-take-off
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Why high temperatures can make planes too heavy to take off
Our planet's rising temperatures are making it harder for planes to take off at certain airports, presenting yet another challenge to civil aviation. And as heatwaves become more frequent, the problem could extend to more flights, forcing airlines to leave passengers on the ground. "The basic challenge facing any aircraft as it takes off is that planes are just very heavy, and gravity wants to keep them on the ground," says Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK. "In order to overcome gravity, they need to generate lift, which is the atmosphere pushing the plane up. Lift depends on several factors, but one of the most important is the temperature of the air -- and as the air warms up it expands, so the number of molecules available to push the plane up is reduced. Planes get 1% less lift with every 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) of temperature rise, Williams said. That's why extreme heat makes it harder for planes to take off -- and in some really extreme conditions that can become impossible altogether," he said. The problem particularly affects airports at high altitude, where the air is already naturally thinner, and with short runways, which leave the plane with less room to accelerate. According to Williams, if a plane requires 6,500 feet of runway at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), it's going to require 8,200 feet at 104 degrees (40 Celsius). Williams and his team researched historical data from 10 Greece airports, all of which were characterized by high summer temperatures and short runways. They found a warming of 1.35 degrees Fahrenheit (0.75 Celsius) per decade since the 1970s.<br/>
