ORIGINAL: Charlie P.
ORIGINAL: Stickbuilder
The airplane does not know that the wind is blowing. If you have a model that will fly at 60 MPH, then you are flying in a 60 Mile per Hour wind even on a calm day. Learn to fly regardless of the weather conditions (within reason), and you can fly virtually every day.
Bill, AMA 4720
Then my models seem to be smarter, or at least more in tune with their environment, than yours.
Once airborne in a steady 30 mph breeze I'll grant you that . . . for the most part. But if it were totally true a symmetrical racetrack parrern would not gradually position you further and further downwind. (I have sailed for 30 years and current ALWAYS messes up your navigation if you don't compensate). There is also the infamous "Figure 9" that I have watched even very experienced pilots perform in entering a loop from a downwind approach and failing to compensate for the tailwind. Crunch. And then there are the 10 gusting to 30 and 45ยบ angle variable winds we usuallly get. I'd rather fly in a steady 25 than a gusty 10 to 20 any day.
We are in the midst of thunderstorm season and I have taken off in 5 only to land in 35 on more than one occasion. The model may have been unaware of the peril but I was carrying enough tongue-bite knee-shake for both of us.
Depends a great deal on the model. power, speed applied and airfoil. The model may in fact be neutral to the moving cell of atmosphere, but near-ground interactions (like take-off) or low speed (like banking a low power trainer with dihedral and a flat airfoil) will sure enough need you to remind the model the wind is blowing whether it happens to know or not.
Charlie P,
Nope, not at all, it has to do with you flying the model, and not allowing the model to be drifted by vagrant winds aloft. The fact remains, You must fly the model, and airspeed is relative. Don't you have an apparent wind readout on your sailboat? It measures the wind against the boat's heading. If you sail head on into the wind (0 points), the boat does not know the wind is blowing now does it? Neither does your airplane. It's you who are not controlling your airplane, or sailing your boat. Allow the boat to fall off a few points, and it resumes sailing (if you have the sails set correctly). The same goes for your plane. As long as your airspeed (relative) is sufficient to provide lift, you can fly. If your knees start knocking at the thoughts of a 20 mile per hour wind, then it's not the plane, it's you. Every year at Top Gun, the wind is 20+ MPH, and normally is a variable set of cross winds and shears. Guess what? Everyone still flys, and most do it very well. Learn to love the wind. I'll bet you start taking a couple of reef's in your main as soon as the breeze hits 20 MPH.
Mine likes a nice little blow.
Bill, AMA 4720