Earth's Hottest Place | Can You Takeoff From Death Valley?

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Death Valley is seeing some more record setting temperatures this week, which gives us the opportunity to explore how density altitude affects performance.

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Also check your POH and make sure your plane can actually startup and function properly in those temperatures. The plane I fly has a maximum ambient temperature on startup of 120 F. So be careful flying into some places with extreme temperatures, since it can cause startup problems or vapor lock.

-The-Stranger-

Glad you pointed this out. One thing I did as an airplane owner to see how my airplane would perform at high density altitude was to take it to an actual high altitude. I wanted to see how my airplane would perform at 7500’. We leveled off and then applied full power and went into a climb. I wanted to see if I could maintain a 500 ft./min climb. If so, then I would be a lot less stressed going to an airport where I knew the density altitude was going to be near that. I cross referenced that actual test with the published performance charts from the owner manual. I don’t have the luxury of a POH, since my airplane is a 1959 Piper Comanche.

The biggest surprise I think most pilots have when they first encounter high density altitude is how long it takes for your airplane to get to the appropriate indicated airspeed for rotation. Because the ground will be racing past you. The key is to pick an abort point and hold off until you truly reach rotation and still don’t be aggressive. There’s nothing wrong with a 200 FPM climb.

boogerwood

As a passenger, I fly in and out of Palm Springs frequently, usually in winter (with a 737-800). On a flight a few weeks ago (June), the temperature was about 112F....and I had some serious concerns about running out of runway...

jobaecker

Was just talking about this exact scenario at death valley yesterday with my flight instructor. As a student hearing about experienced pilots getting caught off guard with density altitude issues and crashing, it really reinforces that you need to take it seriously and always consider the temperature and airport elevation. Just because you landed safely somewhere does not mean you will be able to take off safely, especially if the temperature is climbing. You may need to wait out the conditions for a more optimal time to take off safely.

stephenehlers

I’ve visited Death Valley, one of the most fascinating places I’ve visited in the west.

gcamp

We absolutely do need to calculate performance numbers for every takeoff, en route climb and landing, and fortunately modern EFBs like ForeFlight make it easy. In addition to this, we need to ask if flying in 100+ deg weather is a good idea from our own well being perspective. If it’s sunny and 130 deg in Death Valley, the cockpit will be even hotter. This is not conducive to having a clear mind to operate an airplane. Some airplanes might also have airframe temperature limits specified in their POH. For example, 131 deg max structural temperature for Diamond DA20 or 160 deg for most other composite airplanes. Personally I just don’t fly above 100 deg even though I fly S22T /w AC and UV-protected windshield. Mornings and evenings are cooler, the air is smoother; why add an unnecessary risk.

christophvz

Its a fun thing to fly into KLXV and then "down" to L06 on the same day just to say you've hit the highest and lowest airports in USA....

gonetoearth

Flightinsight! making the world a better flying place one video at a time 😊

danielmahecha

BJC had a density altitude of 9, 200’ today after hitting 102°. Pretty brutal!

Connor_Herman

I’ve flown to Death Valley a few times. There’s something odd about flying below seal level. I have a few pics of my altimeter reading negative in flight.

williamk

Once took off out of Deming NM (4000ft field elevation and 33 ISA so about 8000 DA). At some points during the climb out the VSI showed -100...

justenlim

I took off in KHII with a temperature of 51C and it was CRAZY. As my home airport, KPRC is a mile high and also scorching hot, I'm kind of used to high-density altitude operation but man it was crazy to fly under that temperature.

antiquehealbot

This is a bucket list airport for me. Everybody wants to land at Telluride to land at the highest airport. I want to land below sea level

thebadgerpilot

Another important consideration in this much heat is what punishment your engine is experiencing. Your cylinder head temperatures may be unacceptably high. A good engine monitor will tell you. I like to keep my CHT’s at 400 or less. When they go above that, I take measures to lower them, like richer mixture, increased airspeed, a reduced power climb, or all of the above. 450 degrees would be my absolute maximum, but I hope to never see that. If you are already operating at higher density altitude where you can’t afford compromised performance, it may be better to just stay on he ground. Overtemping cylinders can lead to bad outcomes. Consult your engine manufacturer for further advice.

wkelly