So, What is the Saharan Dust going to do for My Weekend Flying Plans??

[FlyingElvii]

The local stations are dooming and glooming about this weekend’s Saharan Dust Incursion. Any idea what this means for weekend planning?

 

[iflyvfr]

Lower risk of sunburn, smudgy looking skies, but great sunsets & sunrises. Sounds like a perfect reason to fly. That view from the space station is amazing.

 

[eman1200]

if it's gusting all you'd have is dust in the wind.

 

[chemgeek]

Nada.

 

[Bill Watson]

Going forward over the next few weeks, I’m hoping it will suppress hurricane development in the Atlantic.


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[Lowflynjack]

It'll make your photos look golden!

 

[Zeldman]

What is this dust thing everyone talks about.??

Can't be any worse than the smoke you guys from Arizona insist on sending to NM.....

 

[Timbeck2]

Well if you'd stop lighting forest fires in AZ we wouldn't have this problem.

 

[WDD]

Hey

All we are is dust in the wind....

 

[donjohnston]

Florida panhandle this morning. No clouds, but anything over 2,500' would have been IMC.

Had to stay at 2,000 or lower. By 9am it was just too hot.

 

[danhagan]

What is this dust thing everyone talks about.??

Can't be any worse than the smoke you guys from Arizona insist on sending to NM.....

Am at Dona Ana (KDNA) ... think there were 8 in NM last weekend. Refueled TorC and there was one just north making visibility really hazy ...

Well if you'd stop lighting forest fires in AZ we wouldn't have this problem.

Its the damn protesters! They keep burning the wrong area trying to find "Monument Valley" to destroy a few

 

[MBDiagMan]

if it's gusting all you'd have is dust in the wind.

you mean that they will be playing a “Kansas” tune on the radio?

 

[MBDiagMan]

It happens every year, but this year is supposed to be worse. Wonder what it will do to a air filter and engine? I am thinking it will not be healthy for engines. I understand that the particles are tiny, meaning that an air filter may not stop them.

How long will it last?

 

[Everskyward]

It happens every year, but this year is supposed to be worse. Wonder what it will do to a air filter and engine? I am thinking it will not be healthy for engines. I understand that the particles are tiny, meaning that an air filter may not stop them.

How long will it last?

I just got this email from Textron. It's referring to jet engines (P&W). Not sure if pistons would be affected too. They're probably playing CYA, but who knows.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Thanks Skyward.

 

[Flocker]

From this morning at PDK. (Atlanta GA) King & Queen buildings in the distance.

 

[JOhnH]

From this morning at PDK. King & Queen buildings in the distance.

Is there anything out of the ordinary there?

 

[Flocker]

We were VFR. 5 NM Viz

 

[donjohnston]

When I was flying out of PDK, that looked about normal for the summer.

 

[Bill]

Went for a 150mi motorcycle ride, the skies have a strange washed out look to them.

 

[donjohnston]

Wonder what it will do to a air filter and engine? I am thinking it will not be healthy for engines.

What's this "air filter" you speak of.

(I haven't seen a Velocity with an IO-550 with an air filter)

 

[WDD]

Yeah. It was bad. I gave up the ideas of flying today. Never saw it quite like this. Now thunderstorms. Maybe it will clear it out. Or bring locust ....... weather has been tough for past few weeks

 

[Salty]

Florida panhandle this morning. No clouds, but anything over 2,500' would have been IMC.

Had to stay at 2,000 or lower. By 9am it was just too hot.

We flew out to Pennsylvania from Tampa yesterday and by 11.5k I could barely see the ground. It got better the further north we went.

 

[MooneyDriver78]

Florida panhandle this morning. No clouds, but anything over 2,500' would have been IMC.

Had to stay at 2,000 or lower. By 9am it was just too hot.

SE Florida it was definitely hazy below 12k, but look clear above. Hazy, but no IFR. Pretty much normal for this time of year.

 

[SC777]

From this morning at PDK. King & Queen buildings in the distance.

View attachment 87046

Looks like Los Angeles circa 1970

 

[Hang 4]

East coast of FL today, it started to clear at about 8k, could barely see the shoreline at 4k. No evidence of dust on the airplane itself.

 

[Fearless Tower]

What is this dust thing everyone talks about.??

Can't be any worse than the smoke you guys from Arizona insist on sending to NM.....

That’s just the COVID cloud coming your way!

 

[Fearless Tower]

CAVU in coastal VA as of 6:30 pm today

 

[MBDiagMan]

PDK? Do you think everyone in the country knows where every airport when referred to by its designation? Would it be too time consuming to key in a city or state?

It’s okay, even tough disrespectful, to make most of us look it up to find out where it is. When the time comes for me to refer to an airport, I will give an identifiable location, even if it is as vague as North East Texas. That would be more respectful than making you look it up if you have an interest.

 

[MBDiagMan]

What's this "air filter" you speak of.

(I haven't seen a Velocity with an IO-550 with an air filter)

What does that have to do with my question about the effect of the sand on an air filter and an engine?

Are you saying your plane has no air filter of any kind?

 

[WDD]

On the Skyhawks I rent if you turn on carb heat you by pass the air filter.

 

[Flybuddy]

I had owned a Velocity and it did not have an air filter. Was able to add an inline screen.

 

[rbridges]

Is there anything out of the ordinary there?

I drove to Sandy Springs which is near KPDK. My wife and I kept commenting on how hazy the horizon was.

 

[MBDiagMan]

On the Skyhawks I rent if you turn on carb heat you by pass the air filter.

All carbureted planes bypass the air filter when applying carburetor heat. Why is that relevant to the subject?

 

[MBDiagMan]

I had owned a Velocity and it did not have an air filter. Was able to add an inline screen.

Operating a piston engine with no air filter is really bad news. It will eat up the top rings first, but will significantly shorten engine life. I have never heard of a Velocity, but if it is some sort of centrifugal particle remover or something, then that is serving as an air filter.

 

[Groundpounder]

I got a trip to central florida Monday. We'll see how GE engines hold up to this Africa Dirt

 

[Salty]

Operating a piston engine with no air filter is really bad news. It will eat up the top rings first, but will significantly shorten engine life. I have never heard of a Velocity, but if it is some sort of centrifugal particle remover or something, then that is serving as an air filter.

What are you ignorant? (That’s a joke)

velocity’s are like mooneys only even better. They don’t just have their tails on backward, their tails are on the wrong side of the plane. The engine too!

 

[MBDiagMan]

That’s fine. So they don’t have air filters?

 

[Flocker]

PDK? Do you think everyone in the country knows where every airport when referred to by its designation? Would it be too time consuming to key in a city or state?

It’s okay, even tough disrespectful, to make most of us look it up to find out where it is. When the time comes for me to refer to an airport, I will give an identifiable location, even if it is as vague as North East Texas. That would be more respectful than making you look it up if you have an interest.

My OP edited per your request.

 

[Jim K]

My OP edited per your request.

Im not sure why he's in such a crappy mood in this thread....I think most pilots are aware of PDK as the primary reliever in the atlanta area. I even know what the king & queen are thanks to @write-stuff 's videos, although that's a bit more esoteric.

I appreciate the photo as there's not a lot of info about the actual effects of this dust on GA. Looks like it won't make it this far north for the most part thankfully.