good plane for wind
 

i was wondering what you would suggest as a good plane to handle fast wind, i have plenty of experience for a harder plane to fly but i am looking for a .40-.51 plane that will fly nice in wind, i have flown my avistar in 20mph winds just for fun to see how slow i could fly it when i land, it was fun but want somthing that i dont have to be worried to take up on those less then perfect days, i am looking for an arf, under about 200$ i was looking at a lanier f-4 phantom, but i dont know how those fly, just looked cool. any help would be appriciated

RE: good plane for wind
 

IMHO all planes fly horrible in 20 mph winds. There is no sense in trying to control, or should I say over control a plane just to keep it from floating away like a piece of paper. All I can offer since I try not to fly in winds above 15 mph 20 mph gust , is the bigger the wing and stabilizers surfaces are the more effect the wind will have on the plane.

RE: good plane for wind
 

If you're an experienced pilot, pretty much any fast plane will handle wind. If you're willing to try something different, try a SPAD. I routinly fly my SPA3D in 30+ mph winds. It's actually the only plane I fly in high wind. The best beginner-ish ARF I've found is the World Models Super Sport 40S. It's a great next step from a trainer and can do almost any aerobatics short of 3D. It's a pretty clean design and handles the wind very well. Check it out, it's less than $100.

RE: good plane for wind
 

Few things you can do. We fly in 20 mph winds all the time here in South Texas.

Profile plane. They are allot of fun in the wind. You can fly them backwards and stationary. You DO NOT want to try to fly them fast in a high wind, becasue you will rip them apart.

Race plane, like Q500. These things don't care if there is wind or not. Be REALLY fast down wind.

What about a warbird? Mustangs are great flying planes and a high steady wind will give you great confidence in landing anything.

Delta wing plane. Like a Whiplash or any delta wing bird. Once again, they don't know it's windy.

The 40 size Stick planes. Not the Ultra Stick, do the Tiger Stick or the GP Stick with the thinner wing for high wind.

And this may shock you, years ago before we got into 3D, during the winter we would all get ARF trainers and have trainer races. 45's and pipes. The plane to get was the Avistar and just beef up the tail surfaces with flying wires or tri-stock.

Also, look at propping the plane differently. Use a APC 10-6 or even a APC 9-7 for more windy conditions, this will allow the plane to cut though the wind better.

RE: good plane for wind
 

I found this one handles any wind condition! Course, it doesn't have much lift but does a great pylon slalom race.

RE: good plane for wind
 

I like the shoes on your porch Sooner! :)

RE: good plane for wind
 

YNOT is right about any delta wings. They don't know what wind is and will cut through'em like they are 5mph breezes.

RE: good plane for wind
 

Glad ya liked that Derek! (shoes). Its sorta that whole Mr. Rogers thing. You have your "in the house" shoes, your "in the car shoes" and then theres the castor soaked "Frequent Flyer" shoes. If you notice, that is what I was wearing when I was running up my new 46AX.....;)

RE: good plane for wind
 

what about a shrike, trainer races, that sounds kind of fun:D

RE: good plane for wind
 

The Sig Kougar is the best "wind-handling" sport plane I've ever flown. It is an old-fashioned kit and a bit involved to build, but the end result is well worth it.

I realize that kits are out of favor now with most folks. But this one is a classic that flies "big" for a small airplane. Of the many ARFs I've had, only the larger scale aerobats, designed for precision flying, fly as well. None of the 40-size "sport" ARFs can come close to the Kougar; IMO, anyway. YMMV.

RE: good plane for wind
 

i bought a tower uproar and flew it in the wind and it was a blast. and im not a pro pilot either. cheap and fun there ya go. i rigged mine with a tt 40 pro.

RE: good plane for wind
 

I'm going to agree with Steve here and recommend the Sig Kougar for
windy conditions. My old Kougar is my windy weather plane and Ive
flown it under conditions that keep most everybody else at home.
Anything under 20 mph is like no wind at all. Ive even made crosswind
landings in 20 mph winds with it.

It may not be an ARF (and thats a good thing) but its one of the
best flying 40 size sport planes out there. Get one while they are
still available.

Mike Hammer

RE: good plane for wind
 

One on my Sig Kougars goes to the field when the wind is up. It will fly easily when the wind keeps everyone else on the ground. They are actually fun to fly in the wind.

Bill

RE: good plane for wind
 

you might try finding a ripmax rapier in artf format,it's a delta that really rips with a .61 in it.

RE: good plane for wind
 

My Uproar40 with an OS 46AX and a MAS 12-4 prop is a great wind tolerant plane. but it depends on the amount of wind and the reflexes of the pilot. IMHO.:D

RE: good plane for wind
 

Wind models need good penetration, decent power & minimal dihedral. The lack of dihedral is not a flight requirement, but rather, a ground handling requirement. High wing loading helps, but is not really necessary. My three examples include a Blue Movie SPAD 46 (forground), a much modified Florio Flyer 60 (background), and a Hobbico Superstar 46 hot-rod. They vary from fairly high wing-loading (SPAD) to very low wing loading (Superstar). The real trick is the take-offs & landings. If the plane blows over backward on the ground, it is too windy. Once airborn, the wind speed doesn't matter at all, unless the model can't progress against it -- that would mean ~ 75 MPH for the Superstar & 85MPH for the Florio & Blue Movie -- which is ridiculous of course. Essentially, the limit is established by the ability to safely get airborn & back down again.

I fly the Superstar in 20-25 MPH winds without difficulty, wherein it will do near-vertical take-offs & landings. The Florio & Blue Movie can handle 30+ MPH without serious problems.

RE: good plane for wind
 

Nice mod on the SuperStar.

Very "Porterish" looking... ;)

Ground handling OK? Seems like it would want to ipt up while taxiing...

RE: good plane for wind
 

Thanks. I have to keep the tail planted with elevator while taxiing, but that's not unusual for a 'dragger.

It is a fast & highly aerobatic fun flier, although inside snaps aren't great (that huge wing won't stall easily!)

RE: good plane for wind
 

20MPH? Tis but a gentle breeze in the Midwest. Wind is 40MPH with gusts over 60MPH on a nice sunny day... others from the plain states know what I mean. 20MPH is very flyable and even 40MPH is flyable. It actually can be great fun... hover in place in level flight at 1/2 throttle. Vertical takeoff and landings, even backward ground speed landings. Planes actually fly OK in these winds, the killer is gusts, so keep landing speeds up if wind is gusty. Those not from the Midwest... we ain't joking, it is common to fly in 20-30MPH winds because that is what mother nature gives us. I envy all those in states that have wimpy "winds."

The key in wind is a mix of low drag and high loading. Any plane that fits that mold would work well in wind, but quite honestly, high drag/light loaded planes work fine too, they are just a bit more work to fly.

RE: good plane for wind
 

The only plane i have succsessfully flown in winds over 15 mph is the parkzone F27B stryker. This is a delta wing plane that has great handeling and it cuts through the end like butter.

RE: good plane for wind
 

I suspect that your wind is different from our "wimpy" wind. You are dead right about working with what nature gives you & difficulties with gusts are surely a common problem to both areas, but where we fly there is also extreme low-level turbulence in strong winds. We have lots of trees, plus buildings that really roil the air near the ground. At our field, a 35 MPH wind is a serious handfull without lots of experience & the right equipment.

Some of our worst wind conditions arrise with the wind straight down the runway!!

RE: good plane for wind
 

I fly my MIDWEST AEROBAT's in the wind all the time, you just have to be a little carefull with gust and ground handeling. 35mph is great fun. Wind can be a great training tool for students if done right, it teaches finesse with the sticks while kiting, that's also a great time to get a student used to using the rudder. ENJOY !!! RED

RE: good plane for wind
 

Britbrat makes a good point. I'll take 40MPH straight line winds over 15 gusting to 25 with turbulence any day. It is the unpredictable airflow that is the killer, be it from gusts or ground clutter. Our typical winds in summer are 15 to 20 MPH, but 30-40 is not uncommon and we can get some killer thermals. The highest wind I flew in was around 40-45MPH but the wind was fairly constant and predictable. I also used a 35% aerobatic ship that weighed 30 lbs and had 2:1 thrust to weight. It was more work than a calm day, but it wasn’t super hard to fly in and the flight was uneventful. I am lucky in that our field is basically clutter free for 1 mile in all directions. We will get thermals off the crops nearby and sometimes rotors from the sun shelters and club house, but nothing like what Britbrat has to deal with. Again I’ll stress to wind newbies, the danger is getting too slow, esp takeoff and landings. Wind gusts/turbulence works faster than the plane/pilot can react, so you want a nice safety buffer above your stall speed. Cheers.

RE: good plane for wind
 

SIG KOUGAR would get my vote. with a strong .46-50 mill. the Q-500 might do well too.as to high wings the Kavalier handles ok. total area including side area is important factor. believe it or not ive found some properly powered smaller planes fly better in wind than some larger ones. steady breeze or gusts DO make quite a difference .

RE: good plane for wind
 

SIG KOUGAR is the plane for windy conditions. If you can stand up in it , you can fly in it.

A friend just built the little Kobra. Flys pretty much the same way.

I don't know about the big Kobra.