Yesterday was cloudy but today was sunny and a “freezing your butt “off afternoon. So, I decided to see what SW Michigan looked like from the air very late in the day.
Today’s lesson: Why I like to fly in the winter or on cold days.
On cold, dry days, not only does colder, denser air help a plane’s engine perform better, but less convective heating means less currents or thermals created when the heat from large bodies of land radiate heat into the cooler air, creating bumps and turbulence. Also, lower humidity improves visibility. Another benefit of winter flying: less air traffic. That means less stress, and greater enjoyment of flying.
My airplane performs better on very cold days. It all comes down to density altitude. Air density is the single most important factor affecting aircraft performance.
So, what does this mean exactly? It’s how high the aircraft feels like it is. My little Cessna 150 will perform better at sea level than it will at 10,000 feet! (If I can even get it up there) This is what density altitude is. My airplane sitting on the runway way will “feel” like or perform like it’s at a certain altitude depending on density altitude. Cold air is thick or heavy and Hot air is thin or light. A hot day will sap power from your engine, decreases your climb rate, and increase how much runway you need to take off or land. My airport is ~ 650 feet above sea level and with a density altitude of a negative 3,600 feet, like it was today, the C-150 climb’s like a home sick angel.
Here is what it was like in SW Michigan from the air today.