Heat Injury: A Summer Flying Hazard

When it gets in the 80’s in May in Minnesota, watch out for July! Yes, you should think about your density altitude and make sure you’ve got enough runway to avoid taking off from a cornfield. While you’re worrying about that, you also should be worrying about your own tender self and the effect of heat. I’m talking about heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Both these conditions can develop with prolonged exposure to summer heat. The higher the temperature or the higher the humidity or the poorer your fluid intake, the sooner you can get into trouble. We normally regulate our body temperature by...