Density altitude and Sedona
Avoid the heat of the day
Not too high, relatively speaking—but with temperatures soaring into the 100s in the summer, the air can be mighty thin. If you fly in without considering density altitude, you may be in for a rude and rough awakening.
Density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature, also known as the altitude that the airplane thinks it is flying. The thinner air means the engine has fewer air molecules to work with, thus creating less thrust, and the wing and other control surfaces have less air to make lift. Combine these two facts and you can end up with a deadly combination of an underpowered, underperforming airplane.
Here are some considerations for flying and landing at lofty heights.
Just because you can land doesn’t mean you can take off. Don’t take off on a hot afternoon without a solid understanding of how elevation and heat will affect your takeoff roll.
Even if you can take off, you might not be able to outclimb the surrounding terrain. Watch ASI’s Accident Case Study: Into Thin Air to learn more about the hazards of high terrain and density altitude—two factors that often go hand in hand, especially west of the plains.
You can’t turbocharge a wing. “My engine is turbocharged!” you say. But even if your airplane’s engine can adjust to the higher altitude, its limited and unchanging wing surface can’t.
Remember the POH was created by test pilots in brand-new airplanes. Pad those performance numbers from the pilot’s operating handbook and factor in at least a 25-percent increase. Fifty percent would be safer, especially if you’re new to high DA ops.
If in doubt, don’t go out. An adage used by lifeguards the world over. Density altitude can kill you in the same way the ocean can—unemotionally, impersonally, and quickly. If your gut is telling you something, listen to it.
My suggestion? Fly into Sedona early in the morning. Get brunch at the airport restaurant, then walk over to the Skyranch Lodge. Spend a night or two in this lovely hotel where you may see desert hares and javelinas, enjoy a few hikes, visit an energy vortex, and take a Pink Jeep Tour. Watch the sunset from the hotel and then peace out the next morning as the sun rises. You’ll get a treat as the colors change over the rocks and avoid the heat of the day.
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