Weather conditions play a huge role when planning flights, making them more or less dangerous for pilots. And as it turned out, in hot weather, tourists may be asked to leave the plane before departure. And why, the specialist who is involved in drawing up flight routes told The Sun.
Warren Weston is the chief meteorologist at US airline Delta and head of the team that monitors the weather to determine which routes planes should fly for maximum smoothness and safety. He explained why hot weather can be as much of a problem in flight planning as storms or wind, and how it can cause some people to be kicked off their flights.
“When it’s really hot, planes can carry a little less weight than usual, which means fewer passengers and less baggage. Even one degree makes a difference,” said Warren Weston.
That one degree could mean that a significant amount of weight would have to be removed from the aircraft for it to fly safely. “If the temperature is higher than 37.8°C, each degree higher will mean a loss of approximately 635 kg,” the specialist noted.
Because the average person weighs 62 kg, up to ten people will be removed from the plane in just one degree of heat. This is all due to the density of air and how it changes under the influence of heat. High temperatures make the air less dense, which significantly affects the performance of the engine and the lift generated by the aircraft during takeoff. A lower take-off weight and longer take-off distances in the heat are required to create sufficient lift. As a result, carriers have to reduce the weight of airplanes.
This summer, Delta Air Lines had to limit the number of passengers and fuel loads due to warmer temperatures in America. In a statement, the airline said: “Additional protocols have been adopted to address the operational impact of extreme heat on aircraft, including loading less fuel based on weight and balancing and scheduling en-route refueling as necessary.”
Once a plane has taken off, many different factors can cause a flight to be delayed or rerouted. Warren explained that the main reason planes can’t land on schedule is thunderstorms.
“If there is a thunderstorm over the airport, it will prevent you from landing. This is probably the main problem; Another reason can be thunderstorms on the way. This may lead to the plane flying on a different, longer route,” the meteorologist explained.
Any unexpected storms can be dangerous for airplane passengers because they can cause very strong turbulence. “When there are severe thunderstorms, it always makes flying turbulent. However, we can see where the storm is happening and make a plan: either try to fly around it, or figure out how to get through it in the shortest possible time,” the expert said.