Sunday, October 19, 2008

Hot, Heavy and High

Comments on yesterday's post remind me of this story. I can't remember if it's a joke or a real story someone told me, but it goes like this.

A fairly new pilot has flown his rented flying school airplane into a high altitude field on a hot day. He's very conscious of the responsibility he has to be aware of the performance penalties involved and is walking around on the ramp admiring some of the other airplanes. There's a nice little Piper being with the doors open and he sees the fuel truck arrive and fill the tanks while the pilot and large adult passengers pile baggage in the back. He takes an opportunity when the passengers are busy photographing themselves in front of the airplane to ask, "How can you load the airplane like that on such a hot day?"

"Oh, it's okay," the pilot says proudly. "We have air conditioning."

3 comments:

dpierce said...

It's no joke. If you blow the air conditioning over the wings, it makes up for the density issues.

Anonymous said...

As a young flight instructor, this fellow watched his student became a small speck on the horizon as he departed on his first solo cross country flight. A lonely feeling crept over the instructor as he watched. He thought "did I remember to tell him everything." Later in the afternoon the student’s Cessna 172 landed and taxied to the ramp. It seemed to be a bit tail low. As his student tied the aircraft down, the instructor approached to ask how the flight had gone. The student replied "Couldn't have been better. Look at what I found at the flea market near the airport." Curious, the instructor peered into the baggage compartment and saw an anvil appropriately tied down. "How'd she fly for you" the instructor asked. The student replied somewhat unconcerned "Really wanted to climb… too bad they only had one anvil for sale."

From the FAA's CFI site.

--paul

Anonymous said...

Physics are not only cool, they are also right. All the time. Don't mess.