It's Too Hot For Some Planes To Fly In Phoenix (npr.org)

In Phoenix on Tuesday, temperatures were forecast to climb as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit, causing more than 40 American Eagle regional flights out of Phoenix's international airport to be canceled. NPR reports: American Airlines said in a statement that the Bombardier CRJ aircraft used on some shorter routes have a maximum operating temperature of 118 degrees. For bigger jets, the threshold is higher. The carrier says that, for example, Airbus aircraft have a maximum operating temperature of 127 degrees and that for Boeing, it is 126 degrees. As USA Today reports: "Extreme heat affects a plane's ability to take off. Hot air is less dense than cold air, and the hotter the temperature, the more speed a plane needs to lift off. A runway might not be long enough to allow a plane to achieve the necessary extra speed." Bianca Hernandez, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tells NPR that Phoenix is seeing an unusually strong high-pressure system, which is causing the soaring temperatures.

Comments

120 whatchyamacallit

[Anonymous Coward]

And that's about 49c for the rest of the world.

Re: 120 whatchyamacallit

[Anonymous Coward]

Garbage. You think it's "easier to relate to temperature in F" simply because that's what you are used to. Nothing more.

It would be the same reasoning to claim "It's so much easier to say this in English. Why do those foreigners insist on speaking their miserable language?"

Celsius is the international standard. The USA is a muddled backwater because it clings to outdated measurements.

Re: 120 whatchyamacallit

[oobayly]

I'm intrigued by "not precise enough", the difference is less than a factor of two. If precision is actually required then you'll be using decimals no matter what.

Isn't it ironic?

[rmdingler]

The same phenomenon that allowed hot-air balloons to first lift man to the heavens now grounds him.