Flight Training - July 2015 - 50

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ACCIDENT ANALYSIS

Higher than you think
Don't overlook density altitude
» By David Jack Kenny

IT'S A MISTAKE to think that challenging
density altitude requires, well, altitude.
Higher base elevations provide a head
start, but the essential ingredient is heat.
Don't believe it? The Furnace Creek
Airport in Death Valley National Park,
California, lies 210 feet below mean
sea level-but on a typical 125-degree
summer day, the density altitude can hit
4,400 feet. That's 100 feet higher than on
a winter day in Denver.
Pilots based at fields whose density
altitudes rarely exceed 3,000 feet may not
feel much need to worry about it. That's
easier to get away with when the runways
are long and the departures unobstructed.
Put an aircraft loaded close to maximum
gross weight on a short strip with closein obstacles, on the other hand, and a
couple of thousand feet of density altitude
can be the difference between a takeoff
that's uncomfortably tense and one that's
flat-out impossible. Even when it's hypothetically feasible, attaining the necessary
climb performance requires correct aircraft configuration and exceptionally fine
airspeed control.
Case in point: The Cessna 206 floatplane whose pilot tried to make a water
takeoff in Florida with four passengers
in the middle of an August afternoon.
Actual elevation was essentially zero but

50 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

the density altitude was 2,300 feet, and
the airplane might have been slightly
overweight (investigators estimated 55
pounds). He could only coax it up to 400
feet before it could no longer maintain
altitude, at which point he was also too
far away to return for a water landing.
The Cessna descended into treetops
instead. The engine produced full power
afterward, and its performance charts
suggested it should have been able to
climb at 600 feet per minute-at 65 knots
in a clean configuration.
Overweight departures are sometimes
also attempted a little too casually, but
density altitude eats up whatever margin
for error is built into the authorized
maximum gross weight. Ocean Springs,
Mississippi, also lies at sea level, and the
density altitude one March afternoon was
"only" 1,135 feet. Nevertheless, a 4,400hour ATP found out the hard way that his
Cherokee 140 wouldn't climb with three
passengers on board. Both wings were
torn off in a forced landing on a residential street a half-mile from the airport.
Turns out the Cherokee was "only" 100
pounds overweight. That was enough.
Statistician David Jack Kenny prefers to fly his
180-horsepower Piper Arrow at least 150 pounds
below maximum gross.


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Flight Training - July 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2015

Contents
Flight Training - July 2015 - Cover1
Flight Training - July 2015 - Cover2
Flight Training - July 2015 - Contents
Flight Training - July 2015 - 2
Flight Training - July 2015 - 3
Flight Training - July 2015 - 4
Flight Training - July 2015 - 5
Flight Training - July 2015 - 6
Flight Training - July 2015 - 7
Flight Training - July 2015 - 8
Flight Training - July 2015 - 9
Flight Training - July 2015 - 10
Flight Training - July 2015 - 11
Flight Training - July 2015 - 12
Flight Training - July 2015 - 13
Flight Training - July 2015 - 14
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Flight Training - July 2015 - 16
Flight Training - July 2015 - 17
Flight Training - July 2015 - 18
Flight Training - July 2015 - 19
Flight Training - July 2015 - 20
Flight Training - July 2015 - 21
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Flight Training - July 2015 - 24
Flight Training - July 2015 - 25
Flight Training - July 2015 - 26
Flight Training - July 2015 - 27
Flight Training - July 2015 - 28
Flight Training - July 2015 - 29
Flight Training - July 2015 - 30
Flight Training - July 2015 - 31
Flight Training - July 2015 - 32
Flight Training - July 2015 - 33
Flight Training - July 2015 - 34
Flight Training - July 2015 - 35
Flight Training - July 2015 - 36
Flight Training - July 2015 - 37
Flight Training - July 2015 - 38
Flight Training - July 2015 - 39
Flight Training - July 2015 - 40
Flight Training - July 2015 - 41
Flight Training - July 2015 - 42
Flight Training - July 2015 - 43
Flight Training - July 2015 - 44
Flight Training - July 2015 - 45
Flight Training - July 2015 - 46
Flight Training - July 2015 - 47
Flight Training - July 2015 - 48
Flight Training - July 2015 - 49
Flight Training - July 2015 - 50
Flight Training - July 2015 - 51
Flight Training - July 2015 - 52
Flight Training - July 2015 - 53
Flight Training - July 2015 - 54
Flight Training - July 2015 - 55
Flight Training - July 2015 - 56
Flight Training - July 2015 - Cover3
Flight Training - July 2015 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202309
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202206
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202106
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202011
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201404
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201307
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201205
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201103
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