Extreme heat = caution
As every year, we are suffering the effects of climate disruption, with temperatures exceeding 40° almost everywhere in France. The density altitude today at our airfield is 2570 ft for a geographic altitude of 124 ft….
Aircraft and people suffer. Let us remember that performance is greatly degraded in extreme heat; the attached Koch chart will let you see this in real time. We should therefore avoid going to airfields at medium or high altitude in a heatwave, or go early in the morning in the cool, as they say at the squadron bar.
But above all, let us not forget that this also applies on the plains, on the short strips we use regularly. And let us not forget either that the lack of power could considerably lengthen our take-off distance and the clearing of the fifteen-metre obstacle.
When the birds of prey start to take to the air, the thermals are there and, for us in our light aircraft, it is time to head back to the airfield…
The 55 days of lockdown have made people living near our airfields and microlight strips forget our activity. The countryside and mountains are full of holidaymakers who could not go to exotic destinations. So let us respect our environment, limit circuits in the mountains, pay attention to hikers using the airfields, and try to find the right balance that will secure our presence in these often magical places. Our ecological maturity has everything to gain from it, as do our leisure activities.
Safe flying.
Jean Christophe Gibert
