Icing conditions and concerns
The environmental factor that I have chosen to cover is icing. As we fly higher, the air gets colder by approximately 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit per 1,000 feet (referenced from Bryan Allegretto, California Snow Forecaster) . With that comes performance restrictions. For example, my plane's anti-icing system works off of bleed air supplied by the 10th and 14th stages in each engines compressor. Once we reach an altitude that automatically turns on the system, the engines must consume more fuel to put out the same speed/power. On average my plane consumes about 4,000 pounds of fuel per hour which changes to about 5,000 pounds once the anti-ice system activates. This is a huge consideration when planning routes; what altitude to fly at, as well as how long we can loiter over an area. Icing conditions could also form freezing rain, which we cannot take off into per C-130 regulations. which could Rolex the timeline of a flight to the right by hours if not days. Icing is a huge factor that should never be taken lightly and should be avoided during flight if able.
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Nice post, I appreciated your addition of quantifiable numbers in regards to your fuel burn. The C-130 is one hell of an aircraft!
ReplyDeleteTo better go off your topic covered, I agree with what you mentioned about planning for icing conditions. I personally have never had to deal with it before mainly because I fly in hot, dry weather most of the time but we still take it in to consideration. If we know icing is something we may encounter we actively try to avoid it or make it a transient condition for us.
Great post!
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ReplyDeleteYour references must follow APA.