Reducing aviation’s global warming footprint.

[MikeD]

If the number of days helicopters can’t fly due to heat is increasing year over year, isn’t that something new?

We’re talking about places where extreme heat is already a norm this time of year. Whether helos can’t fly because it’s 53C or 56C, is something that has been over 50C for years now. Perhaps it’s a few more or a few less days one year from the next, but the fact that helos can’t fly due to extreme heat, in known extreme heat areas, isn’t some shocking rocket science or breaking news. That’s been being dealt with for a very long time in these places. As has people going hiking in extreme heat when there are ample warnings, apart from common sense, not to do so.

 

[zmiller4]

We’re talking about places where extreme heat is already a norm this time of year. Whether helos can’t fly because it’s 53C or 56C, is something that has been over 50C for years now. Perhaps it’s a few more or a few less days one year from the next,

I think the point of the article is that it’s definitely not “a few less”, it’s “a few more” days per year—or a larger area on hot days where helos can’t fly.

Either way, increasing temperatures is inherently going to increase the days or areas that helicopter rescue operations aren’t possible, and that’s “new” and newsworthy. But people absolutely need to acknowledge heat-related dangers in the desert as well.