Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hey Sweetheart! Flying Dinner Tonight?

Pretty romantic to take your sweetheart out to dinner in a private aircraft for two. Nice beautiful day with balmy temperatures and no sign of turbulent or violent weather. The airport with the nice food is only seventy five miles away with  reservations at 8:15. 

One other thing - the dew point/temperature spread  is only four degree Fahrenheit. this is a potentially dangerous situation on the return trip from that nice dinner. Instrument rated or not, the arrival back home is questionable.

Generally speaking, the night radiates the heat of the day and the night air becomes cooler. If the humidity is high the difference between the dew point and actual temperature becomes less and less.

When the temperature/dew point are the same a cloud forms. Close to the ground we call it fog. Our happy couple are now faced with a return marred by fog. The airport has suddenly become shrouded and, if not planned for, a tragic end to a wonderful evening might happen. 

Don't let this happen to you. The lack of turbulence or noticeable winds make the formation of fog a distinct possibility given the temperature/dew point spread.