Clearance Indicated Airspeed OAT 
Air Facts
MAY 5, 2025
This particular 172 normally cruised at 120 mph indicated airspeed, but with the ice it would barely do 90 mph and that required full throttle! Flying in the clouds in a single engine airplane when the OAT is below freezing is not a good idea! Up we went, trading airspeed for altitude. What had happened? We were free!
Pilot Institute
MARCH 26, 2025
For example, if we were to takeoff on an airfield at sea level at 0C (32F), it would take 1520ft to reach our obstacle clearance height of 50ft. Whereas for the same airfield on a different day, if it were 30C (86F), that same obstacle clearance height would take 1880ft. High-density altitude, on the other hand, indicates thin air.
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