ORIGINAL: RVman
i'm still skeptical with some of these wind claims. Gusts to 40+ mph for example is extreme for a sport plane. A speed plane that is fast and clean might be able to handle it but you would need 1/2 throttle on a slower sport plane to keep it moving forwards. Thats not to mention any turbulence and such. But everywhere I've flown we have hills, trees, etc that cause shifty and bumpy winds...not many here fly in more than 10-15 mph.
Not sure why I feel I need to justify this to you, but here goes. Weather.com on Sept 31 at Cherry Creek State Park in Denver CO said wind gusts above 40mph. Our club is in the middle of a field next to a lake.
This is the only historical data I could find on wind conditions in an area close to Cherry Creek State Park. The wind will be lower in Centennial, CO since it's a suburb of Denver. But you'll get the idea of the wind speed we had in the city on this day. I have no reason to doubt that weather.com's 40mph + gust readings at our club were false on that day.
http://www.wunderground.com/history/...q_statename=NA