Questions tagged [cold-weather]
Cold weather is weather that is officially defined as less than or equal to 0 degrees centigrade (32 Fahrenheit)
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When to apply cold temperature correction?
I am having trouble understanding when to apply cold temperature correction, I have heard about the below 0 deg Celsius rule but I could not find any of this in official regulations such as 8168 or ...
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What is the effect of cold temperatures on aircraft gyroscopic instruments?
When it comes to cold temperatures, I know some effects on engine, for example it causes higher viscosity of oil and so higher oil pressure when engine is just started but still cold.
But what is the ...
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Is there a certain minimum temperature we need to turn on pitot heat on light trainer aircraft (eg DA40NG)?
Is there a certain minimum temperature we need to turn on pitot heat on light trainers (eg DA40NG)?
In the AFM and checklist documents for the DA40NG, information is given that it should only be ...
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How are winter weather operations different if they are based on an aircraft carrier instead of a runway on land?
I am guessing that naval aircraft carriers do not have room for conventional deicing trucks and snowplows. If they need to have frequent takeoffs and landings, time for clearing precipitation may be ...
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Do aircraft need special modifications for polar routes?
Does an aircraft need special modification for polar routes?
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Why are engines with carburetors hard to start in cold weather?
Why are engines with carburetors hard to start in cold weather?
And why is there a different procedure for hot start scenarios, after you've just shut down the engine and want to power up again?
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How is paint embrittlement countered in high altitude aircraft?
There are cases of aircraft that are not designed for high altitudes that can still fly there and as a result the paint on these aircraft "falls off".
Although most aircraft have paint that is chosen ...
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Who has the responsibility to make altimeter corrections in cold temperatures?
I work as air traffic controller in Asia and we refer to both ICAO and FAA regulations. As winter is coming, there is a debate on altitude correction (or altimeter correction?) for cold temperatures. ...
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Can commercial airliners fly over central Antarctica during winter?
For example, if an airline decided they wanted to run year round flights on the great circle from Perth to Buenos Aires with a commercial airliner (e.g. A380 or B747), would they be able to do so? Or ...
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Why do turbofan jets fly faster in cold weather?
Why do turbofan jets fly faster in cold weather at high altitudes?
I read somewhere that prop planes do it due to cold weather means air is more dense, and the prop therefore produce more power.
But ...
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How much snow can cover a runway while still allowing commercial airliners to land safely?
In regards to this question I thought about how much snow is shown on the runway and the exits in the movie.
So normally a commercial airport will have a fleet of snow plowers or heaters to keep ...
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When is deicing required?
For airliners, under which meteorological conditions is de-icing required?
What factors (temperature, humidity, dew point, precipitation, etc.) influence the decision to de-ice?
Is decision to de-...
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Why is there a time range for holdover times charts?
2016-2017 FAA Holdover Time Guide
The FAA publishes holdover times for each winter season and gives a time frame for how long each type of fluid should protect the aircraft from further contamination....
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Is thermal expansion/contraction a major design problem for large subsonic airplanes?
Most large airplanes flying today are mostly metal, which has a relatively big coefficient of thermal expansion. Cruising altitudes of commercial jets can reach 10 km or more, where the air gets down ...
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How was the "frozen wing flap grease" problem solved? (Antarctica, 2001 emergency evac)
In the June 16, 2016 Washington Post news article A rare, risky mission is underway to rescue sick scientists from the South Pole difficulties of flying in and out of the south pole in winter are ...
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Is the "glory" optical phenomenon frequently seen by aircraft pilots?
A glory being this optical phenomenon:
(Source)
It reveals the presence of supercooled water, a hazard for an aircraft (see answers).
Due to the way it can materialize, the center of the rings ...
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Do pressure altimeters take into account differences in temperature? [duplicate]
I work as ATC in Korea and recently, I have some question about winter altimeter setting.
In my facility, we use winter altimeter adjustment because the aircraft's pressure altitude is lower than ...
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How should Isopropyl Alcohol be used as an AvGas Fuel System Icing Inhibitor?
I understand that 100% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) is used as a Fuel System Icing Inhibitor (FSII) additive in aviation gasoline systems—including 87 through 100LL fuel types—for cold weather operations. ...
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How else can snowy/icy conditions disrupt airport operations?
In casey's fabulous answer here, he identifies several ways snow/ice can disrupt airport operations:
Continuous heavy snowfall can eventually close an airport if it
becomes impossible to keep the ...
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What is the process to remove frost off an airliner? [duplicate]
My aunt recently was going on a flight home and she boarded the flight, but her flight was delayed due to frost on the aircraft. She noticed this crane like device above the aircraft wing during the ...
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What effect does cold weather have on helicopter performance?
Recently I was flying around my RC helicopter on a 40 $^\circ$F (4$^\circ$C).
At some point in the flight the rotor just stopped moving in mid-air and then I regained control back at ground level. I ...
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Where does ice collect first on a wing in flight and why?
I've seen some reports that say ice forms on the back half of the wing and on the outside edge of the wing (the part furthest from the body) before it will form anywhere else. I'm wondering if this ...
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Why doesn't frost form on a moving airplane?
When I was a young student pilot, long before the FAA prohibition on polished frost went into effect, an instructor left a six-inch square of frost on the wing to demonstrate how fast it would ...
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What do they use to de-ice aircraft and runways on snowy days?
One of the answers to this question mentions how runways are usually in need of de-icing on cold days (which makes sense), and as anyone who has ridden an airplane on a cold day knows, planes need de-...
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Does Russia still use a Snowtam to report normative brake friction?
Does Russia still use the normative (Russian) brake friction when reporting Snowtams for their airports? What about former Soviet (CIS) countries?
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Should you sump fuel tanks when the fuel system is below freezing?
I recently saw an argument in a forum I frequent that sumping the tanks when the system was below freezing was a bad idea, as you can't drain solid ice from the fuel system, and there is a chance that ...
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When is pre-heating a piston engine important, and how does one pre-heat correctly?
As temperatures here in New York plunge toward (and below) freezing it's time for those of us without nice heated hangars to start thinking about pre-heating our aircraft before we turn the key.
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