At what OAT do you think it’s not worth flying anymore ?

Nikhiln25

Nikhiln25

Pre-takeoff checklist
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nikhiln25
Title

Debating if I want to go for breakfast tomorrow when it’s 6 degrees outside
 
Where I live (PNW) it never gets hot enough, or cold enough to keep me on the ground. I just look for good visibility. On long cross country flights, if its above 80% humidity and 85 degrees, I'd rather be on the ground in an AC environment. My engine doesn't like high ambient temps either. It's hard to keep the oil temps in tolerance at higher power settings when it is too hot and/or humid outside. Speaking of flying conditions, it's 39 degrees F at my house, but severely clear skies right now so I'm headed to the airport!
 
Since I don't have an open cockpit aircraft, cold is pretty much irrelevant once I'm comfortably ensconced in the seat. Heat is really only a consideration for performance, although I'll try to fly earlier/later if it's really hot since that's more pleasant.
 
Companies I flew for in Alaska stopped operations at -38 for pistons and -48f for turbine.

Not because it was hard on folks, but because it was hard on the airplanes.

And yes, -38 makes for a VERY short TO run and steep climb out for a 207. With contrail.
 
Flyhound said:
Where I live (PNW) it never gets hot enough, or cold enough to keep me on the ground. I just look for good visibility. On long cross country flights, if its above 80% humidity and 85 degrees, I'd rather be on the ground in an AC environment. My engine doesn't like high ambient temps either. It's hard to keep the oil temps in tolerance at higher power settings when it is too hot and/or humid outside. Speaking of flying conditions, it's 39 degrees F at my house, but severely clear skies right now so I'm headed to the airport!
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Above 80% and 85 degrees? definitely don't move to central or south FL!
 
Above 94 with high humidity and below 30 don’t want to preheat
 
Nikhiln25 said:
Title

Debating if I want to go for breakfast tomorrow when it’s 6 degrees outside
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I'd say 0°F is the limit for me. I have flown quite a bit in the single digit cold. I warm the plane up in the hangar including the inside with a turbo heater. Then when I get in out on the ramp it is tolerable inside.

When I used to rent they had a limit of 10°F to rent a 172. One morning my wife and I were there and it was 6-7°F out. The guy behind the counter said he would rent to me since by the time the owner of the flight school arrived it would be over 10. lol It was 12° when we returned the aircraft.
Need long underwear to fly comfortable in our 172 when it is that cold.
It's 7° this day.
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It was cold this day/eve. The air was so calm and smooth. Plane performed great all night.
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Coldest I've flown in my little open-cockpit airplane was +15F. Dressed for it, didn't get cold, flew for about 45 minutes.
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My usual trick on days like this is to taxi in, park where the crowds are, stand up in the cockpit, unzip my flying jacket, and waft it back and forth like I'm too warm.

Like Flyhound, I live in the PNW where it never gets all that cold.

Doesn't get all that hot, either, but with the open cockpit, one does tend to bake in the sun. I quit wearing my leather helmet when the temperature reaches 85F. When the temps are nearing 100, it really isn't all that nice...the prop wash doesn't cool you, it's just more heat.

Ron Wanttaja
 
MauleSkinner said:
My Maule couldn’t keep itself warm, much less me. I had a wool turtleneck sweater and a B2-style jacket to keep warm.
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Yeah, I'm sure it's very aircraft dependent. My Cherokee has insanely good heat, for some reason. I was flying in -10C (14F) temps the other evening and had to keep turning the heat on and off because it was getting too toasty in the cockpit. The whole "dress to egress" thing is something I try to take seriously, but wearing any kind of big hoodie in the cockpit is a sure recipe to get overheated if I'm not careful.

Certainly helps to start with a toasty-warm engine courtesy of a Reiff heater!
 
172andyou said:
I don't need to do it every day, but a couple times a winter it's pretty fun when cold temps turn a 172 into a STOL plane.
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Yes exactly!
Last week I was flying at dusk with low fuel tanks by myself in the pattern. 160 hp felt like 200 when I was flying right at dusk in cold air. The plane was a beast and would do almost anything I asked of it. I did quite a few night landings that night also.
Man I love that kind of flying. I mixed it up between no flap T&Gs and full flap short landings. Most are one wheel touch and goes.
Power flow exhaust plays a big part of the STOL performance in cold weather.
 
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wanttaja said:
Coldest I've flown in my little open-cockpit airplane was +15F. Dressed for it, didn't get cold, flew for about 45 minutes.
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My lower limit is 40°F, and that's a short flight, like a couple of times around the pattern just to get my flying fix. My fingers are usually the limiting factor.

 
15F, windchill 3F, snow all day today and for the next 2-3 days. I'm staying home. May head over to Famous Dave's for BBQ because there's a special "free slice of pie" today (Friday) only. Tomorrow, may consider the National Western Stock Show (Denver). Love the exhibit hall and all the wierd stuff people try to sell.
 
It's -2 °F degrees here today, not including wind. The preflight is the problem for me in this weather. Good winter clothing keeps me from rushing things to get out of the cold more quickly.
 
MauleSkinner said:
My Maule couldn’t keep itself warm, much less me. I had a wool turtleneck sweater and a B2-style jacket to keep warm.
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My preferred cold-weather preparation is a wool turtleneck under a flannel shirt, and (of course) a scarf to act as a gasket between my neck and the coat.

I have a presentation on the history of leather flying jackets. The second to the last chart shows the various leather jackets I've owned for aviating in my Fly Baby.
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There is usually a wry grin or two. But I point out, "If you are flying over the Cascades and have to force-land, what would you rather be wearing: The canvas windbreaker that was all you needed at the big airport, or an insulated flying jacket?"

Remember, you aren't necessarily going to be in good enough shape to crawl back to the baggage compartment.....

Ron "Toasty!" Wanttaja
 
Dana said:
My lower limit is 40°F, and that's a short flight, like a couple of times around the pattern just to get my flying fix. My fingers are usually the limiting factor.
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Honestly forces me to mention the fact that I grew up in North Dakota, including camping in below-zero weather and snowmobiling on -40 days. I may be a tad more tolerant of cold than some folks.

I've got two pairs of gloves for flying, one a lightly insulated leather, the other a well-insulated set of ski gloves. Friend of mine tucks those chemical heat packs into his.

I did pick up a set of gen-u-wine Air Force arctic mittens....
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They have fur on the back so you can hold them to your face if you start getting frostbite. I've never tried to fly with them. There aren't MANY buttons in my Fly Baby I gotta poke, but there are some....


Ron Wanttaja
 
I don't have any hard limits. I remember flying from Eau Claire to Ashland, Wisconsin to cover a dog sled race for our newscast. It was minus 14F and I worried about the airplane starting after it sat for a couple of hours. The FBO was closed on Sunday, so if it would not start, I would have been stuck. Did get it running, fortunately. Fuel injected.
 
It varies by day for me. If it's cold enough or hot enough that I'm miserable, then it's not worth flying.
 
for the plane, it never gets "too cold to fly" 'round here. for me, there is a direct relationship between dropping temps and my motivation to get my fat arse off the warm couch to go fly. the decision comes down to "do I want to take 3 steps into the kitchen to make hot chocolate with a shot of rumpleminz and stay warm, or drive to the airport and freeze my butt off so I can go fly"? tough choice sometimes.
 
Daleandee said:
You didn't specify but if we're talking 6ºC then it might be a go. 6ºF ... nope!
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Is it just the OAT comfort for you or is there any real danger to engine at 6F (which will be below 0 at altitude)
 
I've flown photo missions with the window open at 5ºF - that is sooo miserable and I've yet to find a pair of gloves that can handle more than about 10 minutes of it. Also, by the 3rd hour, doesn't matter that you have two layers of socks and decent boots, you start to feel the cold in your feet. Not fun, but I've done it.
 
I've take off in the J3 at -7F on the ground.
When I couldn't feel my feet an hour later, I knew it was no longer worth the effort.
The snowmobile suit was fine, but there is nothing you can do for your feet in those skimpy shoes you have to wear in order to use the rudder peddles.
I never bothered to check on how hard it would be to remove the front seat so I could wear insulated boots.
In the PA-17 the heat worked so well OAT was never really a concern.
 
Nikhiln25 said:
Is it just the OAT comfort for you or is there any real danger to engine at 6F (which will be below 0 at altitude)
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It's just an old man thing in an experimental airplane that doesn't have heat installed.
 
Daleandee said:
It's just an old man thing in an experimental airplane that doesn't have heat installed.
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In honesty, again, I have to point out that my (open-cockpit) Fly Baby does have a heater.

Usually, in person, I point at my right foot and say, "It keeps THAT toe warm....."

Ron "Frostbyte" Wanttaja
 
Shepherd said:
I've take off in the J3 at -7F on the ground.
When I couldn't feel my feet an hour later, I knew it was no longer worth the effort.
The snowmobile suit was fine, but there is nothing you can do for your feet in those skimpy shoes you have to wear in order to use the rudder peddles.
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Battery powered socks?
 
eman1200 said:
"do I want to take 3 steps into the kitchen to make hot chocolate with a shot of rumpleminz and stay warm, or drive to the airport and freeze my butt off so I can go fly"? tough choice sometimes.
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Once you down that first shot of Rumple Minze you have 8 hours before you can fly so the decision is easy... repeat as necessary.
 
Half Fast said:
Anything above 105F I just stay home in the air conditioning.
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Being another central FL guy, I agree! But with the humidity if we go by “feels like” that rules out a lot if the year!
 
0F/-17C for me. I used to say I didn't have a hard limit, then @masloki convinced me to fly him to MN on a -20C day. The vernatherm had a hard time regulating the engine temperature and I was cold even with the heat on full blast. That was too cold. I have to have a really good reason to go below about -10C. It's just too unpleasant to pull the plane out/put it away.
 
20-25 deg F is about my lowest. Hangar is usually 10 deg warmer. Below that OAT, just to cold to want to be out doing a preflight, even in the hangar.
 
Below 20 is my "is this trip really necessary?" moment. I don't think I've flown below 15.
 
Nikhiln25 said:
Title

Debating if I want to go for breakfast tomorrow when it’s 6 degrees outside
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Cold engine, unmaintained battery, leaking doors and vents, poor cabin heat, low wind chill or ice and snow pretty - no.
 
Above 85F I start questioning aircraft performance vs weight, because I don't like the performance of what I fly past that level.
Below 20F I start questioning if I'm going to have fun or not, and how much of a PITA the plane will be to start.
 
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