You know, I'm not at all sure that is true. I've never heard a solid, aerodyanmics-based explaination of why a heavier plane would "handle" wind better.

We all know it's usually easier for us to fly a heavier plane in the wind, but I think that is because of where we are standing, outside the plane, than anything else.

A heavier wingloading will result in a faster glide, but the actual glide angle will be the same, since the glide angle is the L/D ratio, which doesn't change directly with weight. (It does change a little, since at a higher weight, you have to operate at a higher AOA, which means a different L/D for most airfoils, but that effect is generally minimal).

Anyway, a lighter plane and a heavier plane will glide though the airmass exactly the same, following the same path. However, a ligher plane will do so at a lower airspeed. So, if the wind is high compared to the airspeed, a lighter plane will fly very slowly against the wind, and will show a larger apparent change in speed when it turns from downwind to upwind or vice versa.

So, a heavier plane will be faster flying, which will make a given wind speed a smaller percentage of the ground speed, which will make the airplane appear to fly at a more constant speed (airspeed remaining constant, but ground speed varying due to wind), and the higher speed will make covering ground against the wind easier.

However, all the above is mostly talking about planes with out engines, where the airspeed is set totally by the rate of descent and the L/D. Put an engine in there, and the situation changes.

Your airspeed is no longer controled mostly by weight, a lightly loaded plane can fly at the same airspeed (or usually faster) than a heavily loaded plane. So wind penetration with an engine is less of an issue. A lighter powered plane can throttle up to get better wind penetration and match the heavier plane.

On landing, and intersting thing happens. A pilot flying a lighter plane is going to be used to slowing the plane way down, and using that light wingloading for a nice slow glideslope. However, a pilot of a heavier plane is going to be used to a faster descent. In effect, a landing approach turns a powered plane in to a glider as above. So the pilot of the lighter plane will, out of habit, slow down farther, causing the ground speed to drop way down, and making the landing seem "harder". The pilot of the heavier plane is not going to see the plane slow down nearly as much (as a percentage), so the plane will look and feel closer to "normal" in a high wind.

If the pilot of the lightly loaded plane simply holds more power all the way to the ground, and uses the engine to establish an approach with a higher airspeed and a "normal" ground speed, they will find the lightly loaded plane lands just fine in the wind.

The above is all assuming a steady wind.

In turbulance, lightly loaded planes seem to bounce around more, but part of that is because of the lower airspeed. If you power up and fly the same airspeed as a heavier plane, the bouncing reduces quite a bit. I haven't flown side-by-side comparisons to see if the bouncing around becomes equal at equal airspeeds or not, but again, I can't see any aerodynamic reason why a lighter loaded plane would bounce more.

I can see one reason, and that would be inertia. I'd be willing to believe that a heavier plane (even with a lighter wingloading) would bounce less in the same turbulance, since the turbulant air acts as a force trying to accelerate the airplane in a direction. A heavier plane will take more force than a lighter one. But that's mass, not wingloading that matters.

Anyone see where I got something wrong in this? It does match the experiences I do have flying lightly loaded and small planes in high winds compared to flying larger, heavier planes in the same wind.