RCU Forums - Wind Log

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I've been keeping a log of the wind speeds for my area that can be attained in www.accuweather.com. I also log the wind actual speed at the field which a lot of times happens to change opposite to what the accuweather forecasts say. However I've been able to find a pattern which sort of helps me to predict better windows of opportunity to go up with less wind. Does anyone keep similar logs? Is there a more reliable source than accuweather? These people almost get their forecast within the ballpark but I'd like to have more reliable information sources. Does anyone use the paid accuweather service?

I guess I'm low tech. I just look out the window at trees,[sm=72_72.gif] and that info coupled with the knowlage that it is calm around here from early morning till around noon usually works out pretty well for me.

I don't think I want to know. We fly every chance we get. Most days in western Oklahoma are windy. If we knew how windy it was we might stay home some of those days. Our last fly in the wind sock stuck straight out all day long. It is calibrated at 30 knots.

David

I look at accuweather also. It's pretty darn close to actual field conditions. When I log my flights at the field I use the Beaufort Scale to log the approximate wind speed at the time of my flights. Here is the link to the [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale]Beaufort Scale[/link]

We also have a windsock calibrated at 30kts that often sticks straight out! [:@]

i dont know why wind is so important.....all i need to know is which way it is going for Take off and landing. I will fly in 50mph winds...it doesnt scare me

Plugin,

Thanks for the tip on Accuweather.com. It has some nice features you don't get from the weather channel.
I like it! [8D]

Frank

I use weatherunderground.com. It gives me the winds hour by hour for my area. And for a beginner like myself if it says 10 knots or less I am good to go and headed to the field!

You're welcome. I'm probably more cautious with the wind because I fly a NexStar which really gets jumpy with wind. Probably when I move to a Pulse next month it will be a forgotten issue.

http://usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/c...t=Get+Forecast

This is the readout for my area. Notice it gives the windspeed and direction. Also look at the upper right at the list of other maps. There are two for wind that are worthwhile.

Here's a picture of the top of the page for the report for my area.

I'd love it if I could have that type of info around here.

unless it is a hurricane, i will fly

Quote:

ORIGINAL: plugin

I'd love it if I could have that type of info around here.

Just noticed that your zip code probably wouldn't work in that US flying weather site.

What one of my clubs is looking into right now is placing a weather station at our field. We plan to use a laptop running a standard weather application. There are weather station packages for the hardware needed. And we figure we might as well run a camera feed. We plan to point it at the windsock. We'd be able to check conditions at the field from home and possibly check the winds for the last few hours. We've got electricity at the field, and the rest is just plugins.

I'd love it if I could have that type of budget around here.;)

I am with the I don't care about wind speed crowd.
I learned to fly in the wind and I soloed on a day that some of the seasoned pilots packed it in because it was blowing too hard for them and that on a Kadet Senior. My instructor told me when I started I might as well learn in the wind because if I couldn't fly in the wind I won't fly very much.
With me it is more a matter of direction rather than speed, although that really won't stop me from flying either.

I've mentioned it before but i learned and soled in Minot ND with the Minot Aircraft Modelers, Thanks Guys. Around there the wind always seemed to be blowing 10 gusting to 15 on a calm day, so now here in the beautiful sunny north west a 'windy' day isn't to bad at all.

I've never crashed because of the wind. I've had several flights that were less than fun because of the wind, then common sense dictates that it is time to fold the tent and go home. There is only so much fun time any of us has, I'm not going to spend a single second of it compiling metrological data, or even worrying about it.

http://www.wundergound.com

One of the best!

if ya look around on the weatherunderground page, you will notice there is a link to a ton of weather stations. it even integrates google maps to show ya where the weather stations are. you can pick the one nearest you field if you are lucky enough to have one nearby. some of them update actively every few seconds others give you periodic readings. i am lucky and have one about a mile from my field. also gives you the option for aviation weather reports. pretty much more than you really should need to know to go fly.

The wind is your friend......my friend...

Guys,
I've just checked out the weather underground website. They do South America, and even have a Bogota, Columbia page. But it looks to me like the page does not offer detail information. That means it doesn't give winds or directions or anything much other than temp and percip.

And the US flying weather site usair.com doesn't seem to do South America.

plugin,
I've been watching the winds for years. I flew gliders for years in Minnesnowta, a constantly windy place. And fly power models now at a couple of fields, none of which are laid out to the prevailing winds. And before that, flew competition control line stunt and wind direction is always a part of each flight. And darned if I haven't been doing what you're considering, and been doing it forever. I even built an anemometer years ago. There were plans in Model Airplane News or Model Aviation, I don't remember which.

I now have a handheld "weather station" that's quite a piece. It records the windspeed and will graph it. It does a bunch of other things like readout humidity, pressure etc.

I find that the windspeed is slightly useful. I often show the graph of winds for the preceeding half-hour to beginners. I show them how winds they feel are "awful" are momentary. They always focus on the gusts. The graph shows them how the wind cycles. It almost always cycles. And for most gusts, there are lulls. And they are sometimes quite predictable.

I usually try to teach the beginners that the wind is their friend. And to forget about what it's speed is beyond the two levels, "ok for flying", and "way too strong". What matters most is the direction, and that's not a biggie after they've gotten past the initial fear of wind. Some never do.

Our TV weather channel gives marginally dependable wind predictions for the day. For the last year, they seem to use the following breakdown:

Winds are calm
Winds are 5 to 10 mph
Winds are 10 to 15 mph
Winds are 15 to 20mph
Winds are over ZZmph

I've found that their breakdown works for the beginners I'm teaching. I tell them to give me a call in the mornings they'd like to fly, but to look at the weather channel and know what the winds are, to make the decision if they want to fly before they call me. And they know I expect them to know what the predictions are. They pretty much know that I'll want to go no matter what the winds. But they know I expect them to make the decision if they're going or not. And if they go, they fly. And I've got a trick to all that. I can tell something about them by the winds they'll fly in, where their confidence level is. And when we're out there, I can setup my handheld and we can watch what it says. It's a great teaching/learning tool.

After years of watching, I still do it. But it's mostly habit. It's not worth doing to any real fine detail. And the weather channel's breakdown is good enough.

BTW, wind direction is a MAJOR deal if you fly slope, however. Dang I wish there were some around here. Everyone ought to have a slope plane or two. Then IF it ever gets too windy from the wrong direction to fly your power plane (because you don't want to be the only flyer at the field), you can hit the slopes. And Mother Nature would have to throw some rain at ya' then to make you stay home.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: i live for 3D

i dont know why wind is so important.....all i need to know is which way it is going for Take off and landing. I will fly in 50mph winds...it doesnt scare me

Seriously, no one in their right mind would fly their plane in that kind of wind.

I guess I am also in my wrong mind. If our club is having an event and we have a bunch of spectators. I am going to fly. Our club makes it's money from concessions at our yearly event. We get 500-1,000 spectators during the day. They come to see planes fly and eat our burgers. I would not fly in 40-50 mph winds on an average day. But I did last Sept for the fly in. I put 15 flights on a Goldberg Ult. It's kind of fun to land going backwards. A knife edge that stand still is also interesting.

David

I was flying a few weeks ago in 30 mph winds and wished I didn't. 5 of us went up. We had a 30 mph crosswind from N to S. We had to take off on the taxi way. Our planes were taking off approximately15 feet but once they got up they weren't going anywhere quick. When it was time to land we were doing Harrier Jet Landings. Landings were kind of cool but the rest of the flying was nerve racking. It is pretty nerve racking watching your plane take a fast dive when you use ailerons.