Valley 101

Why can't planes fly when it's too hot in Phoenix?

Listen Later

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport grounded flights due to extreme heat for the first time in 1990. It happened again more recently in 2013 and 2017.

But why can't planes fly in certain temperatures? Turns out, it has to do with performance data provided by plane manufacturers and airline safety procedures. For more on what exactly that means, listen to this week's episode of Valley 101 podcast. 

In this episode, you'll hear:

  • What it was like in 1990 when Phoenix Sky Harbor grounded flights.
  • What four components are necessary for planes to fly. 
  • Kenneth Wood, an American Airline pilot, explain why "performance data" was integral to planes being grounded in high-heat situations.  


    • Related reading: 

    • Nope, turns out it was technically never too hot to fly out of Phoenix
    • Extreme heat could delay Phoenix flights
    • Flying for the holidays? These hacks will help speed you through Sky Harbor Airport

      • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      Valley 101By The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      303 ratings

      More shows like Valley 101

      View all
      Fresh Air by NPR

      Fresh Air

      38,549 Listeners

      The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker Radio Hour

      6,801 Listeners

      Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

      Hidden Brain

      43,719 Listeners

      Pod Save America by Crooked Media

      Pod Save America

      87,395 Listeners

      Civics 101 by NHPR

      Civics 101

      2,548 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      112,664 Listeners

      Up First from NPR by NPR

      Up First from NPR

      56,879 Listeners

      The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com

      The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

      194 Listeners

      It's Been a Minute by NPR

      It's Been a Minute

      9,108 Listeners

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

      7,216 Listeners

      SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

      SmartLess

      58,668 Listeners

      The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

      The Ezra Klein Show

      16,132 Listeners

      Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus by Lemonada Media

      Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

      11,439 Listeners

      The Wirecutter Show by The New York Times

      The Wirecutter Show

      1,180 Listeners

      Pluribus: The Official Podcast by Apple TV

      Pluribus: The Official Podcast

      787 Listeners