Originally Posted by
drac1
You are on the right track, but have taken a slight detour.
A round loop will look round regardless of the wind and it's not "risky" to fly pattern in the wind. The cut off for competition is 12 m/s which is 43.2 KMH or 26.8 MPH.
If you are flying some sort of weird egg shaped ellipse with a long narrow end, then that's exactly how it will look. Flying pattern, the loop is performed in reference to the centre pole and must be central to that reference, regardless of how windy it is to score well. Just because the wind is blowing from say left to right, doesn't mean the loop will move left to right with the wind. The loop will stay central to the fixed point, which in this case is the centre pole. What does change is the attitude of the plane, but the flight path is still round. The CG of the plane must describe a round flight path, not the thrust line.
If it is windy and the plane is wind corrected, then the loop may appear to be not round, but the CG of the plane will follow the round loop. This is where experience in flying and judging pattern comes into play.
As per the FAI Sporting Code, Section 4, Annex 5B.8.4, "A loop must have by definition, a constant radius, and be performed in the vertical plane throughout".
This applies regardless of the wind. Trying to maintain constant speed, (which is another judging criteria), makes it harder again when it's windy.
I've been flying and judging pattern for 17 years and currently fly F3A class. Flying correct geometry in the wind isn't easy.
I'm not sure where you're disagreeing with me, or where I'm "off track". You just repeated my post using different words. We agree (almost) completely. My point is that for the loop to remain in reference to the center pole, and not drift with the wind, and maintain a constant radius in the wind, the pilot must use different control inputs than in dead calm. Those same control inputs used in the "windy" loop would trace an egg shaped loop if done in dead calm. The converse is also true: using the inputs appropriate for dead calm will cause the loop to appear egg shaped and drift downwind if done without modification in wind.
I'm just suggesting that pilots be conscious of the different inputs required. Airspeed changes differently during the loop in wind if you try to make it look round from our stationary ground perspective. Airspeed will NOT be different in wind if you use the same control inputs that you use in calm, but it's going to look different (not round) from the ground. If you're a novice such that anything in this thread is new to you, you'd be SAFER flying your loops in wind with the same smooth, gentle control inputs that you use in dead calm. Be patient and observe the egg shape that occurs and learn from that observation before you try to make the loop round in wind the way a pattern pilot would.
Where I disagree with you is when you say it's just as "safe" to fly a loop in 25 MPH wind. Are you kidding?? It's extremely difficult to maintain airspeed over the top of that loop in 25MPH wind while still maintaining the same radius and center GROUND BASED reference point. This is the exact scenario that causes people to believe the MYTH and think that downwind robs airspeed. I doesn't, UNLESS you keep the same ground track like a pattern pilot.