2.3 The Operating Environment and Aircraft Performance

 There are many different environmental factors that affect an aircraft’s performance in the air, but the one that got my attention today was humidity. When going through this week’s module and reading the required reading I learned that humidity affects the plane a lot when it comes to flying. It mostly affects the engines performance by decreasing the air density. Water vapor is actually lighter than air with air having a molecular weight of 28.966 g/mol and water vapor only weighing 18.02 g/mol.  Now because the air is less dense how do we combat this to make our planes fly the way we want them too?

According to the FAA you should check your density altitude regularly before flying and when you notice high humidity or reduced air density you should increase take off density, reduce rate of climb, increase TAS on approach and landing, and increase landing roll distance.  Now on the opposite end if there is no humidity or high air density your engine will be preforming much better than normal with denser air being pushed into it. but the aircraft will have more drag as its fly’s through the air because of the denser air its flying through.  So overall humidity plays a part in making up air density and air density does a lot to affect how your engine and your plane moves when you go for a flight. So be careful and take into consideration all of the environmental factors that could be out there affecting your plane.

 


References

1608f_air_illustration. (n.d.). [Illustration]. https://www.aopa.org/-/media/images/aopa-main/news-and-media/publications/flight-training-magazine/1608f/1608f_air_illustration.jpg?la=en&hash=82B3E0CFF6129D8BA3822FB1E7354F6782FCF310

FAA. (2008). density altitude. Density Altitude. https://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/library/documents/2011/Aug/56396/FAA%20P-8740-02%20DensityAltitude[hi-res]%20branded.pdf


Molecular Weight of Substances. (n.d.). The Engineering Toolbox. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/molecular-weight-gas-vapor-d_1156.html#:%7E:text=Definition%20and%20molecular%20weight%20%28molar%20mass%29%20of%20some,%20%2018.02%20%2082%20more%20rows%20

Pilots handbook of aeronautical knowledge. (n.d.). https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/media/06_phak_ch4.pdf


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