Flights into Chicago

[Jim Young 2,356]

Has anyone tried a flight into KORD with current temps at -65 to -75 degrees?  I see many of the arrivals have been cancelled but not all so suspect it is possible.  I would hate to be an airport worker on the outside today!

[Adrian123 1,015]

Those are wind chill temps.(Effects on human skin only).. Actual temp is -21 and -50WC. I just flew out of DSM at -18 with no issues with a King Air...I wouldnt want to be a rampy at those WC values and that's why they have been cancelling flights.

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by Adrian123

[Bob Scott 7,720]

I wonder how many virtual airmen are aware of this one:  FAA ATPUB: Operating Into Cold Weather Restricted Airports

Winter is coming...errrrr...HERE!

 

[anden145 2,285]

It's crazy... can't even imagine the temperatures... brrr

Was wondering - what kind of challenges, would you meet, with regards to airport/airplane operations, in those temperatures? I just read, that the wind-chill was around -70 F in Minnesota ...

[Adrian123 1,015]

Just landed in MSP. Flights in and out of there like normal. Their a hardy bunch. OAT -21

Edited January 30, 2019 by Adrian123

[Bob Scott 7,720]

In the late 1980s (1989?) I flew an Air Force C-141 up  to Eielson AFB in Fairbanks AK with a bunch of Army troops participating in Exercise BRIM FROST.  They had a really, and I mean REALLY bad cold snap, even by Alaska standards...temps near 60 below zero (F) and wind chills over a hundred below.  We had engines blowing oil lines left and right--the oil was the consistency of peanut butter at those temps, and flight deck windows were shattering when the window heat was turned on.  They had to put a heating unit duct into the intake of each engine for ~10 min before we could even think about attempting a start.  The air pressure rose so high that you couldn't set it into the altimeter, so the FAA grounded all non-emergency flights for a day or two, and those that did fly had to do manual corrections to the altitudes.  Crazy!

One of the Army company commanders told me they had over 250 severe cold injuries, and inside their heated tents it was still around 0 deg F.  The Canadian AF crashed a C130 at nearby Wainright AAF in ice fog at something like 50 below zero and then called it quits after that.

Cold War indeed...

Regards

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

6 hours ago, w6kd said:

I wonder how many virtual airmen are aware of this one:  FAA ATPUB: Operating Into Cold Weather Restricted Airports

Winter is coming...errrrr...HERE!

 

I am!

The REALLY interesting part is that we've had the technology since at least 1996 to send the adjusted altitude data directly to aircraft via the ILS.  It was just never implemented.  Additional government costs and costs to airliners, passed to passengers, etc.