Do airplanes consume more fuel on liftoff when it is raining?

ComplexLotus@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 29 points –

I think that the additional weight on the water on the surface of the outer airplane body increases friction with the air, and also weight of the aircraft. But does the fuel consumption increase? And by how much?

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Rainy days will lower barometric pressure, so perhaps there's a performance drop, but not by virtue of the water on the plane?

We do account for barometric pressure, but it's generally a few tens of feet. So yeah, a teeny tiny bit, though you can have low barometric pressure without rain.

Plus any raindrops being sent through the engine will weigh more than normal air

Sorry I wasn't clear, it's the density of oxygen in the air. Rain will reduce that number, but by an immeasurably small amount.

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