Temperature affecting recovery?

[Willi91 0]

I've had different experiences where I get the feeling that my recovery from the turn becomes faster due to higher air temperature. Could temperature have an influence on the recovery, or do I suck at making a consistent turn?

[EppyNephrine 0]

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Could temperature have an influence on the recovery, or do I suck at making a consistent turn?

A bit of both. Higher air temperatures amounts to higher density altitude. Simply put, hot air molecules move faster and farther apart, so the air is thinner, providing less resistance to you and your canopy as you dive and pick up speed.

[chuckakers 370]

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I've had different experiences where I get the feeling that my recovery from the turn becomes faster due to higher air temperature. Could temperature have an influence on the recovery, or do I suck at making a consistent turn?

Not sure what you mean by the recovery being "faster". If you mean the canopy takes less time and altitude to recovery from the turn-induced dive, I believe the opposite would be true.

Higher temperatures decrease air density, making the air "thinner" and thus delivering less lift for a given airspeed. Higher humidity levels do the same thing.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[Willi91 0]

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I've had different experiences where I get the feeling that my recovery from the turn becomes faster due to higher air temperature. Could temperature have an influence on the recovery, or do I suck at making a consistent turn?

Not sure what you mean by the recovery being "faster". If you mean the canopy takes less time and altitude to recovery from the turn-induced dive, I believe the opposite would be true.

Higher temperatures decrease air density, making the air "thinner" and thus delivering less lift for a given airspeed. Higher humidity levels do the same thing.

Yes, that was exactly what I meant.
Your explanation makes good sense, so I better blame the pilot rather than the temperature