Therefore you are actually able to control the weather?

One issue not raised is turbulence. This can be a very field specific issue. At one field I used, a north wind was a trouble due to the wind tumbling over the trees just off the field. A south wind was no problem as the field was quite clear in that direction. I have fun flying in the wind (learned to fly in Kansas). I do get a little bugged by strong turbulence.

Only fly when it is fun!

Bedford

Turbulence bothers me something terrible

Much more so than the wind

Learn to fly in strong wing and turbulence on a simulator. Especially landings can be tricky with a little plane.

Grey cloudy and still day yes,perfect and not to harsh re sunlight,particularly here.Still hav;nt found the solution for my plane with the high tank and upside down saito but desperation won and i test flew it with a 3500 idle and my buddy lead hooked up to the club genious,it was very comforting.Rearward cg and large control throws on a windy day plus two dead sticks,i gave up when the wind blew the plane over.

Me too, but when I see my plane fly backwards and It's heading toward Lake Ontario on the way to Canada? Then I KNOW it's a bit too much on the windy side for me. [sm=lol.gif]


Now on the turbulence thing, last year I was flying a modified Hanger 9 PTS Mustang (without the trainer thingy's)... when I came in to land I started my flair then suddenly the plane lost its forward momentum, raised up 6 ft and slammed flat right on the grass runway. I just bent the heck out of my landing gears... but other than that, nothing broke.

So yea, you can say I hate turbulence. [sm=angry.gif] Scared the #@ll out of me!

Expecting delivery today of my GreatPlanes PT-40 MkII .40 trainer (first plane and kit) I live in NY
about 30 mi. north of the city and the only field near me is at Croton Point, this is a bluff overing looking the
Hudson river. Most of the flying is over the river, I know this river well from fishing as a kid and it's allways windy.
from what I read this is bad for a high wing trainer, any advice? maybe a larger engine. This is not a AMA field so I think
I will be on my own.

Try to keep the plane headed into the wind and up wind

If you've never flown before it will be disappointing to try it on your own because you will be unlikely to have the proper coordination skills

Learn the basic flying on a sim were you can set the wind speed and turbulence.

At least, it worked for me.


All the best

Remember, the wind is your friend. It helps you take off, and definitely helps you land! 8-). when you land going backwards, you are flying in "the wind"

Bruce

AA2DD

I really like steady winds and then when it's calm I feel lost. Take offs and landings are much longer with no wind

I've flown micro fixed and collective pitch helis in up to 20 mph winds and it's made me a better overall pilot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt50v...e=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzuKQ...e=channel_page

Now that I'm starting to fly airplanes, my attitude remains the same..."I'm flying regardless of the wind."

Ok, it sounds like the reason people fear the wind is because of landings.

Forget landing like you do on calm days. Just doesn't work that well. With gusts and turbulence, you must fly the airplane to the ground, and that also means fly it down with greater airspeed. In other words, maintain a ground speed that gives you control over the gusts and lulls that occur. So carry on with more power and fly it all the way down to contact with the runway. For those of you that are new to wind, start your approaches while you still have enough fuel for several attempts. If you have a tail dragger, you will need to hold a bit of down elevator as you slow it down to prevent it taking off again. On real bad days, keep it headed into the wind and walk out to retrive the model. Low wing airplane have a better time with the wind on the ground, but any model will fly in it assuming that the forward speed is higher than the wind.

As to flying backwards, lots of fun. Have even done it in a full size Cessna 150. That day was so bad, I didn't think we could even taxi back to the hanger.

Ever wonder why that is ??

It is because of the lack of trees nearby.

The Plane don't know it's windy my friend says all the time.<div id="divCleekiAttrib" style="display: none;" expanded="0" activeid="-1" menuleft="0" menutop="0" menuright="0" menubottom="0"></div>

Wind does not scare me in the slightest.. infact I preffer it, landing happens at a slower GROUND speed etc.

The reason... well I started slope soaring, so I have the "wind is your friend" idea in my head.. also how and when to turn and use the wind to your advantage.

So how much wind is too much for your plane?? well if you "take off" and it will only hover at full throttle, or even fly backwards (yes it can happen in high enough wind!) then its too much.

As for turbulance.. well that should only worry you when on finals for landing, BUT remeber you will be flying at a far lower ground speed... IE you can really afford to come in with a far higher than normal AIR SPEED (make sure you know the difference!!).. this will give the model added security and stability...

Trust me theres NOTHING like just getting out and doing it... if it was REALLY windy all the time you´d be flying in it anyway!! Give it a try, you might be surprised to find it has its benefits...

Very true for steady state winds, but YOU know when gusts blow it around. And turbulence is more often a part of windy days. Of course, the airplane also knows about turbulence and reacts to it as well, usually before you do.

It was really windy here last weekend and I flew and no one else even came out. I flew quite a bit and it was windy enough that you could slow down and just drop the plane straight on the ground to land. I don't enjoy flying as much when it is real windy but it keeps you on top of your game. However, I got dusted a few times by the wind. Mostly landing gear on some weaker planes I have.

Once was pretty bad when I was flying my GP Revolver 70 and had reasonably moderate winds, but strong gusty burst every so often which was the real problem. They were difficult to judge. I came in for a landing and was about five or so feet up when a side gust blasted the plane and it tilted 90 degrees. I was able to almost get it corrected in time but being close to the ground the the wing tip hit. It spun the plane around and I figured it did not hurt it too bad. I was wrong. When it did, the carbon wing tube was so strong that it broke both sides of the fuselage and was about 5 to 6 hours of repair work.

From then on I generally fly my beaters/bashers in the wind because they can take it better.

I flew on Sunday. It was windy with gusts to 25 and turbulence. I should have known it was too windy when my Hog Bipe flipped over twice while taxiing. Flying was exciting - lots of sudden changes. I'd be straight and level one second and banked 90 degrees the next second. Flying upwind it would be almost stationary, downwind it screamed.

I flew for awhile and managed to get it back on the ground without damage. Flying in wind can be fun if you do it with an airplane that you don't care too much if it gets damaged.

The lighter the plane the less wind you wanna fly in. Most of the planes I fly weigh between 15 and 40 lbs. I'll fly in 20, 30 mph wind and not think twice. Confidence plays a factor and others.

When i first moved to Kansas i hardly ever flew for the first 6 months. I would go to the field and just mosey around but not fly. Finally one guy told me if i wont fly in the wind i should find another hobby. I got my crappiest plane and started flying. Now its no problem. I didnt fly last week because the forecast was for 25-30mph with gusts to 40+. I have to draw the line somewhere.

For me seems like 10-15 mph is ideal.  20 mph is OK as long it is consistent and in a good direction.  Once it gets to around 25+ mph I usually pack it up.  It stops being fun for me when I am doing alot of correcting and saving of the plane.  Sort of like the plane is flying me instead of me flying the plane.  I also usally take my GP Big Stik 40 out when the wind is really blowing.  

Good Advice Hewey

I keep my Avistar trainer around specifically for high wind. We put our backs to the wind, and bring the plane in at about 100 ft. Then slowly back off the throttle until you have no forward movement and fly it like a kite. It trains my mind and hands to make tiny corrections.