How hot is too hot for flight training?

40+ C here too.

I suppose when the tire rubber begins to bubble on the concrete ramp, or the plane/helo starts sinking into the asphalt ramp; it's too hot.
 
We used to fly above 40C where I learned to fly. As long as you keep the oil temp below 245F you're good to go.
 
I always enjoyed getting into a plane and seeing the crystallized sweat on the brim of the hood I had to use for instrument procedures from the last thirty students who used it.
 
IslandFlyer said:
I prefer being in the singles. At least in the 172 I can open the window. We have zero airflow when buzzing around in our Seneca. It's brutal...
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Ah our seminole and the seneca I flew had plenty air coming in. The Seneca was in 70 degree weather though so that didn't count. The windows get to me after a while with all the noise.
 
Too hot? Down here is Kingsville it's quite hot and with 50lbs of gear on, walking to jets sometimes up to a 1/4 mile away......time to man up!!
 
115 F and then it starts to get a little uncomfortable. just bring a bottle of water, toughen up and go fly; it's your job.
 
I flew out to Trona, Ca in the middle of July a while back in a C152... Its was 125F in the shade, but it was a DRY heat...
 
mshunter said:
You fly out of SMO. It doesn't get hot there. Stay out over the ocean just south of Pt Mugu and you'll be fine. Otherwise, you'll be grounded all summer.
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I live in Marina Del Rey, but I have been flying Indo students out of Redlands. The 152 doesn't perform that great in hot weather. I still love it! My students on the other hand.... well, I've had some concerns.

Anyone taking the 152 out in 100+ weather on a consistant basis? or do you guys have the luxury of at least 160 horsepower 172?
 
TwoTwoLeft said:
I flew out to Trona, Ca in the middle of July a while back in a C152... Its was 125F in the shade, but it was a DRY heat...
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You are insane! LOL! (in a good way) I wouldn't step outside at 125F. What kind of clim rate did you get? 50fpm?
 
Carrier deck in the Gulf in summer time, up to 150 degrees (jets turning)with high humidity. Buddy flew 30 combat missions in Iraq with no air in his CH-53E, easily hitting 150 degrees in the cokpit while waiting to start, in full gear.
 
Krieger said:
I live in Marina Del Rey, but I have been flying Indo students out of Redlands. The 152 doesn't perform that great in hot weather. I still love it! My students on the other hand.... well, I've had some concerns.

Anyone taking the 152 out in 100+ weather on a consistant basis? or do you guys have the luxury of at least 160 horsepower 172?
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We do here at our flight school. I only have 1 student in the 152 right now and I'm trying to keep it that way. We have other instructors that fly them on a daily basis with temps at or above 100 every day. They perform horribly but they still get the job done.

We do have the luxury of 172's with the 160 hp, as well as a couple with 180 hp. I try to stay in the 172 as much as possible.
 
IslandFlyer said:
We do here at our flight school. I only have 1 student in the 152 right now and I'm trying to keep it that way. We have other instructors that fly them on a daily basis with temps at or above 100 every day. They perform horribly but they still get the job done.

We do have the luxury of 172's with the 160 hp, as well as a couple with 180 hp. I try to stay in the 172 as much as possible.
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I do NOT miss the Houston weather at all. Well, I miss the afternoon thunderstorms, but that's it. How've you been?
 
Like so many things, the answer is "it depends on the situation".

What type of training is to be conducted? A day of cross country flying ataltitude is different than a day of traffic patterns.

What type of aircraft is being used? Some ventilate better than others and of course if it is equipped with air conditioning, that changes the whole situation.

How acclimatized is the student? If the student works outside in similar temperatures on a regular basis they will do far better than someone with an office job.

What physical condition is the student? A young thin well conditioned individual is obviously going to do better than someone who is overweight and out of shape.

Some of the half-way measures an instructor can consider rather than cancelling training involve modifying the training. Perhaps cutting the training period short. Perhaps having the student preflight the airplane and then sit inside and cool off for a while before starting the lesson. Taking along a couple bottles of water can help and it sets a good example for the student. Of course more frequently asking the student if they are doing okay and carefully watching for signs the heat is negatively effecting the student should be included. Then, don't forget the instructor. We're all human and we all have limitations that need to be considered and mitigated.
 
Roger said:
I do NOT miss the Houston weather at all. Well, I miss the afternoon thunderstorms, but that's it. How've you been?
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The thunderstorms this summer have been few and far between leaving it extremely dry down here. The heat has managed to return and it is quite miserable as usual. This is our 3rd year in Houston so I think I'm "kind of" starting to get used to the heat. Not to say that I like it, it just doesn't seem as bad as our first year. But I think the lack of rain has kept the humidity down and the mosquitos away so far.

Right about now sure wish I could trade places with you and be up in Alaska....
 
I have a temperature log in the cockpit, hottest I have seen recently was 134F.

At least the 172's here have AC.

In the Pawnee, I seriously consider taking the doors off some days.
 
Krieger said:
You are insane! LOL! (in a good way) I wouldn't step outside at 125F. What kind of clim rate did you get? 50fpm?
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It wasn't really that bad. The field elevation is only 1800msl. That puts the DA a little over 6200ft. We got about 300fpm out of it.

The worst I've been in was Taylor, AZ (6800msl) when it was over 90f in a BE36TC. What a sled. I actually had to reduce power in the climb to keep the CHTs down, the best I could get was 500fpm.
 
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