I want to know that what role does wind play in flying a model? If I have a 46 size trainer which weighs around 5-6 lbs, how much wind you think it can handle? Also is it a must that windy conditions will result in a crash?

Hi Faisalk,
Yes, the wind does play a role and No, flying in windy conditions does not mean that it will crash. The effect of the wind increases if it is a high wing trainer with dihedral. There is no specific "safe" wind speed for a particular model to be flown but larger low wingers without dihedral tend to handle wind better than smaller high wingers with dihedral. I have seen accomplished pilots fly with ease in stormy conditions while novices struggling with 15kmph winds.
It all depends on your confidence level and what you can handle.
Just remember that when learning, always take off and land into the head wind. Try and avoid low flights in a crosswind in the beginning. Cross winds tend to buffet high wingers around. If you are too low, your scope for recovery reduces.
Also remember another thing. A stiff headwind drastically reduces the ground speed of the aircraft. So make sure you have enough power or/and a steeper glide slope when making the approach into the wind. Else, you might struggle to reach the runway if you try to glide it in like on a non windy day.
Cheers
Lavneet
New Delhi

Another pointer is that if you are flying with a tail wind, do not SLOW your airplane down or you could stall and crash. The airplane doesn't care about groundspeed (you as pilot do, though) but instead, relative airspeed, over the wings is what generates lift. At a given throttle setting you will have faster ground speed downwind than when you land upwind. This faster speed may be unsettling for beginners.

Right on Homebrewer - therefore the headwind landing and takeoff for the beginners. The rocketing downwind speeds really unsettled me as a beginner.

its not the wind that buffets a model around, its the contours or topography of the land.
just dont get your ground speed confused with your airspeed, ie; if you are flying at 20 mph ground speed into a 10mph headwind then the airspeed is 30mph.
if you are flying downwind with the 10mph wind up your arse then your plane is only doing 10mph and likely to be close to stalling speed this is what catches people out.....the bitter voice of experience
your 46 trainer should cope with a hefty wind when you can handle it but if you are still learning then be careful in a wind over about 15mph.

Wind in it's self is not realy a problem and actualy helps with slower ground speed for take of and landing.

at my club i'm happy flying in 20mph+ winds from the north, east or south BUT from the west the wind comes over a large stand of pine trees and realy causes problems when lower than about 80', so when the wind is from the west probably 15mph is about my limit

This isn't exactly right. When the airplane is trimmed for level flight and say has 30 mph airspeed, the plane doesn't care about the wind. The airplane will maintain the 30 mph airspeed in a 10 mph headwind or tailwind. In the head wind the groundspeed will be airspeed - wind speed (30 - 10 = 20mph groundspeed). In the tailwind situation the groundspeed will be airspeed + wind speed (30 + 10 = 40mph groundspeed). The airplane will always maintain the desired airspeed no matter how fast the wind is blowing. Even if the wind is blowing faster than the airplane's normal cruise airspeed, the airplane will maintain its airspeed. ie. wind = 50mph, AS = 30, groundspeed (headwind) = -20mph (airplane going backward 20 mph); groundspeed(tailwind) = 80 mph!

i have seen beginners try to keep the same speed going upwind and down wind, this is what i was referring to but i worded it badly,some beginners are afraid of going too fast.
not me though

What kills a lot of airplanes in the wind is the turn from a downwind leg to crosswind or all the way around to upwind.

People tend to reduce airspeed a bit on the downwind leg, but because they see the plane going so fast (observed groundspeed), they try to make the turn like they have a high airspeed, usually giving too much elevator or banking way too much. As a result, they run out of airspeed and stall, even while the groundspeed is quite high. I've even seen guys crash this way then claim it must have been a radio hit because they just dropped from the sky and the elevator just didn't work.

So, when flying in the wind, watch those turns.

If you are new, it sometimes pays to ask the more experienced guys at the field if there are known "bad air" areas. Some fields I've been to have known rotors that develop in certain wind conditions that can really mess with you if you don't know they are there. In most places it's not a big deal though.

:thumbdown
I'm sorry but my understanding of the English language may be diminishing. That statement makes little sense if any. Whatever the topography does, finally it is the gusts of wind that cause the model to bounce around.
The Question was asked by a guy from Pakistan and I live in New Delhi India...we have miles and miles of flat uncontoured land and we have pretty gusty winds in the summers that really throw the models around - especially in crosswinds - and if it is a trainer with dihedral, the crosswinds tend to flip it over with more ferocity!!!

That is exactly what I was telling him to avoid at low altitude.....just be into the wind when flying low!!!!

Move up gradually and you will be fine [8D] I now can fly a trainer in 20 mph winds with 10 mph gust. Yep you guys forgot to mention gust , this is what really gets your heart racing.

Good Luck

I have become pretty good in flying with wind because in jersey all we have been having is wind. I would also like to say that you gotta be pretty good at your throttle management and rudder, it plays such a big roll in landing with wind!, I see people not flying cause of wind. A good pilot is a pilot who can fly with wind (crosswind) and stuff like that in my opinion!

I agree Jersey is the wind capital of the world. I just got sick of not flying because of wind so I forced myself to try it....Some days I hate it and others I enjoy it .....

Flying in the wind can be a lot of fun, try kiting your plane, it teaches you a lot. Just pay attention where your plane is and DON'T let it get down wind, also when making a downwind turn, EXPECT the wind to sort of slap your plane around the turn. (especially a high wing) In the same respect don't make your landing approaches long, bring them around shorter then when there is little wind. I have flown a Midwest Aero Bat in excess of 30 mph winds and had a ball doing it. It's a blast to take off, roll inverted and kite it and never leave the confines of the field then roll back and land in the same spot still within the confines of the field. Don't be afraid of the wind, learn to ENJOY and respect it. To many people quit when it gets a little windy, don't be one of them. By the way NJ fliers, you say you have wind -- have you ever tried Las Vegas or South Texas, they HAVE WIND.

LOL and no trees, the only reason I speak of the wind the way I do is because of the precise landings I have to make..Las Vegas is very windy , I have been there, but it is the desert, the skys are humongous. [X(] I wouldn't be flying a trainer there, It would definitely be something faster and much more bigger.

I've found it's not just the mere wind that's the problem, it's the gusts that cause the problems. I fly in an area where it's blowing constantly. When it's a constant speed, it's a cake walk. But when it keeps gusting, that's when the problems come in, because one moment you're on short final, 20 feet in the air, and the next second the wind stops, you're 5 feet off the ground at full power trying to climb!! So DEFINATELY be aware of the gustiness!

I would like to mention what RC-FIEND said here. G U S T !!!!!. Thats what takes you down. When in winds and gusts, try speedy landings. Do not land the plane like when without wind. When there is no wind, I usually land in a way that when the landing gear/wheels are 6 inches from the ground, my plane is almost stalling. So I love nose up landings. But not in high wind.

Alway check the air direction when landing, and avoid tail wind landings as much as you can.

If you have cross winds at landing, start using your rudder. Learn and experience at high altitude, and then use it at landing. Rudders makes landing very easy in high cross winds.