Have to keep it short...For a .40 trainer, I need to know at what point is the wind to high before the plane because absolutely impossible to control . I think last week I have flown in 15 mph winds with up to 25 mph gust . Yea I know its crazy but the challenge is what keeps me interested. thanks for all answers in advance .

I personally think the more windy it is for a trainer, the more expirience you will get, therefore, have more confidence in your next plane. (under windy conditions of course) It's prolly not a bad thing to fly in wind. Yeah, 15mph winds are just a little much for me, but I solo'ed in 12mph winds It really gets interesting when you have crosswinds when you are piloting a trainer.

G'day

Joe

Before last spring thats all i did was fly in the wind of ponds ect,i found that my ultra stick flew better than my trainer it cut the wind much easier. and was more of a pleasure to fly! but when it came time to fly on a calm spring day it was a hole new beginning. I was so used to floating in the plane with the wind and almost hovering to a stop. so i guess 15-20 on the winds,the part i like the most is grabbing the wind and adding full throttle.yeah hah! [X(]

SO long as you can control your plane's heading with the rudder so you can takeoff and land on the runway then you are OK. I hate it when people start in the pits and fly across the runway because they are unable to control their planes heading in a wind.

If you are doing that with a trainer and like doing it I say go right ahead. Learning to fly in wind is something we all need to do and in a lot of locations if you cannot fly in wind then you do not fly.

Now if you are on the end of the runway, full throttle and it's windy enough that the plane takes off from just sitting there then I would say you are pushing it. If you are taxiing out and you are holding full rudder and aileron into the wind and the plane flips, you are pushing it.

My personal numbers are 15 to 20 mph depending on the plane I want to fly. Low wing, high aspect ratio and heavier planes tend to cut through the wind much better where a high wing with a lot of side area to the fuselage with limit the ability to takeoff and land. In the air, the plane does not "feel" the wind, it only knows true airspeed, not ground speed.

Also, the size of the rudder will also tell you how much wind you can handle. The smaller the rudder the less crosswind correction you can apply so the less crosswind the plane can handle. The opposite is also true, the more rudder, the more crosswind. I say crosswind because where I fly it always seems that there is some amount of crosswind.

As an example, my CG Ultimate handles crosswinds with ease since it has a large rudder and 4 ailerons. My Somethin Extra and H9 Twist are a blast to fly in wind since I can basically stop them level into the wind and hold them there, unless it's really gusty. My four star 40 does fine until it gets to around 15mph then becomes a handfull. Crosswinds are a real challenge and will test your ability to crab and or side slip in for a landing.

Of course this is all based on I am taking off from the end of the runway and NOT flying away from or towards the pit area. I love the challenge and you will find me flying in wind conditions when others are parked and calling me crazy . There are 2 or 3 in my club that love the wind challenge.

bubbagates pretty much has it right on. If the wind is straight up & down the runway, & you can actually get it to runway, then the only practical limit is the ability to get it back on the ground & keep it there once landed -- in other words when you can just do a vertical take-off & landing.

If there is a strong cross wind component, then life is much more difficult for a trainer -- the limit is reached when you run out of cross wind control authority, particularly on the ground. This will vary for different models, for example an Avistar is reasonably good in crosswinds, & a Nexstar is noticeably less capable in those conditions. The dihedral creates problems, & a model that behaves poorly in cross wind gound handling will be dramatically better when modified to remove the dihedral. In flight, the model doesn't care about the wind -- it's only the getting going & getting back part that creates problems.

The absolute limit is reached when you don't have sufficient power at full throttle to advance against the wind.

I know with this outlook I might not advance my skills as quickly as someone else, but for me it`s when I spend more time worrying about getting the plane down in one piece than I do having fun.

Here is a thread where I asked basically the same question a few weeks ago

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/What...2261574/tm.htm


I can tell you this.... the windspeed that grounds me today is already higher than it was when I asked the question

exeter_acres

Yep,

I answered that one to. Originally I said I would limit the Ultimate, but now that I have flown it more I can honestly say it is great on takeoff and landing in the crosswind. I still have to argue with it to get it to taxi well with a big crosswind since the rudder is huge.

The 4 * does slice well but since I went to the lighter engine it seems to be more of a handfull now then it was before. No big deal though since I use it to just putt around the sky with. It does help with my sideslip practice since it's so low to the ground I must remain ever vigilant with the ailerons and rudder. My Extra 300S is the same way, slices well but low to the ground. The Twist is gone, (sold) and the SSE sits in the shop until I feel like really working on 3D stuff which is rare since I'm training for IMAC.

Parrotman,
Anyway, when it becomes more of a worry about trashing the plane and not having fun is when your personal limit has been reached. As time goes on the limit will get wider, especially once you are past the trainer. I was the same way at first after my solo, much over 5mph and forget it. Now with moving onto low wing and Biplanes and 1/4 scale my outlook on wind has most definitely changed.

BUT...

My feeling is if you can do 10 - 15mph on a trainer with a quartering crosswind then I would say that it is time to go to the second plane since you obviously have learned rudder control.


Fly safe !!!! That's always most important

DARN IT ! typing this for a second time ...any way thanks guys I just find it interesting you guys mention using the rudder . I havent used the rudder flying in these conditions , actually [X(] I havent successfully flown the trainer with just rudder. But I think bubba hit the nail on the head when he said if the plane blows top side down on the ground then it is time to pack it up and go home . When I flew on this windy day there was a guy walking by and he said it was to windy to fly I asked him [] if he flew planes and he said no, of course , but his buddy did and he crashed in such winds . So I took off and landed succeessfuly but it was a real challenge . Well just when I thought I have learned everything and was getting bored, now I have to practice flying successfully with just the rudder hmmmmmmm. cant be to hard . Oh yea as far as crashing I worry about this all the time so , servo stops working , getting shot down , dead sticking at the wrong height, etc, but the fear is gone now and if it happens I just pray no one gets hurt . The trainer I actually have is a hobbico Superstar sorry for the wrong info. although I dont htink it matters. Exeters you are right because I wouldnt fly this trainer in winds above 7 mph when I first got it and now I'm up to 15 or more hmmmmmm.


As far as moving on to another plane its on the way, It is a taquilla sunrise from Tower Hobbies ...yea I know its small but for where I fly I need to get used to flying at high speeds before I go with a bigger plane.
I also want to become an expert doing aerobatics so this lower main winged plane should do just fine .

Thanks for the information and I guess I will get up and fly in 18 mph winds tommorrow

RC-FIEND,

You will find the rudder is your friend in more than just wind. Knife edges, stall turns (hammerheads) and a host of others all require use of the rudder. I bet you are using it to help with the takeoff roll as well as the landing rollout.

Some planes tend to pitch either down or up (what is called pitch coupling) or if you are in knife edge flight then it may pitch towards the belly (down) or towards the canopy (up). Biplanes are well known for this as well as roll coupling which requires the use of the airlerons along with elevator when you apply rudder. The beauty of computer transmitters is you can setup mixes to handle these items.

What I teach my students when it comes to rudder use is get a couple of hundred feet up and level off and keep the normal amount of power you use to just cruise around. Now add rudder in either direction and watch what the plane does. If the nose goes down then add up elevator at the same time as holding the rudder and if the nose goes up add down elevator with the rudder. If the plane drops a wing counteract it with aileron. It takes practice and the first few times might make you a little nervous.

The idea here is to keep the wings and nose level and let the rudder do the turn. Practice this until you can do it at will and you will soon see that you are getting to be a better pilot that can keep his plane under complete control with all the control surfaces available.

The rudder can make a world of difference in the way aerobatics look and the track of the plane and the more advanced manuevers as well as 3D flight require rudder in almost every manuever you do.

A sideslip landing is based on how much rudder is needed to keep the nose pointing straight down the runway while counteracting the rudder turn with opposite aileron to keep the plane from turning and elevator and power to get the glide slope consistent. Once you can do smooth rudder turns then prcatice sideslips up high and be prepared. If you do not correct with power the plane will tend to lose altitude fast which is also a great way to correct for a landing that is going to be long. Remember the elevator points the nose up or down but it's power along with elevator that determines the altitude and the attitude of the plane.

One other thing, if you are flying away from you, you can really see all of what I have described well.

Sorry for the long post and good luck, you are well on your way.

Thanks bubba for all of the useful information , and useful info. is never long winded . Actually it is normally too short. I'm going to practice flying with the rudder today using your advice. I just want to thank all of you for replying so quickly , it makes a world of a difference when I can come on here and recieve information to better my skills

exeter_acres thanks for the link it was very helpful.

Seems most of the discussion here is about glow powered planes, so let me toss in something electric and sailplanes.

We were recently at an Aerotow for large scale sailplanes. Winds were 15 mph gusting to 25 mph. The runway was directly into the wind. We had some big gas tow planes and 3-5 meter scale sailplanes. No one was flying.

Out I walk with my Aerobird (I hear the groans) and hand toss the plane up. Climb to about 300 feet or so, loops and such, then I take it down wind about 200 feet and cut the motor. From there I glided the plane into a landing right at my feet. Next thing you hear is motors starting and gliders being prepared for flight. Someone had to go up and test the conditions to see what was happening up there. The group flew the rest of the day with only one two minor misshaps, both on landing approach.

The only reason I would put up a small light plane like that in such wind is that over the last two seasons I have gradually taken it up in more and more wind. In addition, the plane is very tough so if a gust flips it on landing, the probabiliy of serious damage is small. So I can afford to take some risks with it.

Over the past two seasons I have also become a sailplane pilot. We often fly in 15-20 mph winds without a motor. So I have developed skills and confidence to deal with, and even work with the wind without the benefit of motor. I find it fun to fly in the wind. But it does involve risks as gusts will do things to you on approach that you can't control and can't overcome. Landing with more speed, especially with an unpowered sailplane is a must because a gust can take away all your energy reserve.

If you want to challenge the wind, you have to be willing to accept that risk, and that is probably the key item. How much risk are you willing to take with this individual plane in order to take on the challenge and develop the skills of flying in the wind.

For most experienced pilots I think it is not a matter of skills or the capability of the plane, but the risk and is it worth it.

nothing ticks me off more than getting my trainer off the ground, flying around for a while, making a perfect landing, only to have the wind blow it over (and do damage to it!) while taxiing back to the pit.....

Ohhhh! I would hate it if that happend to me!

Actually it did happen to me. I launched my sailplane in a club contest. Up it went, got a pretty good flight in about 15 mph, but the gusts were strong. I landed clean and near the mark. As I walked over to pick it up, the wind flipped it over and broke the tail, while it was sitting safe and sound on the ground. I was out of the contest!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh I hate when that happens!

What I hate is when the weather people tell you 5 to 10 mph winds for the next day. You get your field batt charged, your glow plug and all your rx batt(s) or if your doing electric, all your flight batteries. Then, after charging them all nite, you get up and its a freakin monsoon out there!!!!!! Really sux now because its dark an hour earlier. Basically no flight time after work. Then the weekend comes and its either raining or, real windy and most of the time, both!!!

Dave...