Our club consists of approx. 50 members, the majority of which fly glow. when the wind even approaches 10mph. they all go home or don't show up at all... I have visited lots of other clubs and 10mph is actually considered a blessing at some of them... What is the problem? Some of these guys have been flying for years and years and seem quite competent in their skills to handle the wind but simply won't fly in it.... As soon as the windsock starts to move the complaining starts and the planes get loaded up... Anyone else see this at their clubs?

Yeah. I fly in all kinds of weather including some pretty fierce winds that sends almost everyone else packing

Pat

I wasn't trying to imply that I am highly skilled at flying in the wind.. quite the contrary.. But 10mph isn't really very strong for a 5 lb. glowplane is it?... When the wind is blowing my recliner over unless I'm sitting in it and my hat keeps getting blown off, that's when I start to get concerned about my abilities.. If Dieter would be so kind as to send me a shredair hat with the chinstrap I wouldn't have the hat problem but so far he has not sent one.

It ainīt just glow pilots TIC, itīs R/C pilots in general!

Man, am I going to get my behind chewed off now!
But seriously, yes, a lot of R/C pilots seem to have an exagerated fear of flying in wind. I suppose itīs something that follows them from when they where newbies, and got the advice ONLY TO FLY IN CALM WEATHER. Sure a newbie should wait for the right circumstances to maiden his plane, but when youīve flown for several YEARS!?

Then again, flying in windy conditions isnīt as much fun as flying in calm weather, but if I was to wait for a calm day to go flying, I might have to wait fo weeks, especcially now, with the fall upon us.

And if I, with just 1 1/2 years of experience can succesfully fly my light and fairly slow parkflyers, surely someone with a .40 plus sportplane should be able to, donīt you think?

And hereīs a FACT: As long as it isnīt too gusty, just a steady strong wind, the plane flies no different from when itīs calm. Itīs just the pilots perspective that gives that impression. The plane doesnīt care what speed it makes over ground, it only cares about itīs speed through the air.

Donīt take me too seriously about this, everyone can do as they please. I just donīt understand it!

Anders

maybe thats just in your area, i was out at a fun-fly today and people were flying in 20mph winds.

When I teach guys to fly, I never mention anything about the wind. After they solo they really aren't effected by the wind much. That is unless they start to hang around a certain group in the club. This group panics when a gnat across the field farts They usually meet on a certain nite at the field. komakaze night as we call it. The same group has been doing this since I learned to fly 13 years ago, + or - a few members.

Speaking of steady winds. True story... quite a few years ago my buddy and I were the only ones at the field...could be because the wind was about 40MPH. I got my stunt kite out and noticed it was VERY steady and had no turbulance at all. Very unusual for our site. Well we got our Kadet Seniors out, and proceeded to take off and land backwards. It was a real hoot doing a backward T&G. We had to cary them out obviously, and hold on to them as we reved the engine for takeoff. Took forever to get up wind and we basically just fought it up wind, and then drifted backwards. Don't want to be making a downwind turn in these conditions Too bad we were the only ones out there. The komakaze would have had a baby on the spot

that's exactly what I meant!... I get down to Ft.Lauderdale a few times a year and visit Markum park... Those guys scoff at 10mph breeze.. it's normal and accepted.. Even beginners are out flying in it.

Originally posted by rcav8r2
Don't want to be making a downwind turn in these conditions

Umm....is there a particular reason for that? Surely the model isn't aware of the wind relative to the ground?

tim

The last two posts are really ironic for me. Just last Sunday, a few of us had a lively debate on this very subject while sitting around a picnic table at Markham Park.

Tic, be sure to let me know next time you'll be in town.

Originally posted by rcav8r2
Don't want to be making a downwind turn in these conditions

Thatīs exactly what Iīm talking about. Downwind turns arenīt a problem at all, nomatter how high the winds are. Itīs all just a misconception.
You have to remember that the plane isnīt flying in a stationary volume of air, but one that is moving. You have to adjust your turn according to this fact so that the plane doesnīt loose itīs speed through the air because you are flying it by how it is behaving from your stationary perspective on the ground.

Anders

re: downwind turns

I'll play the straight answer, in case there's a hidden joke. In strong winds, a downwind turn (even a quick 360) can quickly get you away from the field.

I took off an original 3ch. Kadet with a sport .40 & 8 oz tank. When I started, winds were out of the west at 10. 15 minutes into it, a line of clouds & a front passed. During the change, there was extreme turbulence, so I waited it out at altitude, then made my landing after it had passed. By that time the winds were stronger (maybe 30mph) but very steady.

Seems like most glow fliers expect 10 minutes duration. Since I don't burn full throttle for the entire flight, I would often surprise folks by loitering around for 30-45 minutes.

Karl

I love to fly in dead calm it is so much more enjoyable.
And even tho i understand that a plane flying in moving air might not see it because it moves along with it as it moves when flying in wind I am always aware that a gust can come up and slam your plane to the ground. I find about 15 miles an hour winds is about all i can handle with my planes. At these speed it is very much effecting my flying experiance.

Karl, you are 100% right about that strong winds can carry your plane away from you quickly.

Itīs just that when I see the term "downwind turn" combined with concerns about making them in "strong" winds, my mind goes to all the mythology of airplane mysteriously dropping out of the sky when performing a downwind turn. I may be wrong here, my english isnīt good enough to allways catch the finer points.

Anyway, itīs this myth about planes suddenly falling like bricks I want to debunk.

I can see how this would be a concern for pilots of aerobatic planes during competition, because their manouvres must be performed at specific angles from the judges standpoint, which offcorse is fixed. But to a "sport" pilot like me? No, Iīd rather work with mother nature.

Gary, I agree that flying in calm weather is much more enjoyable. And 15 mph is more than most pilots would want to fly in anyway (according to my experience).

Anders

Originally posted by Zeroaltitude
Downwind turns arenīt a problem at all, nomatter how high the winds are. Itīs all just a misconception.

As a friend of mine named Buck said while we were sitting around the picnic table, "Wind is the navigator's problem, not the pilot's."

I never really have problems with down wind turns; nornally, just adjust for them. ( To me this is like debating why a right turn is harder than a left turn )BUT with a lightly loaded Kadet, I didn't want to chance a dw turn with such a high wind speed, I've seen too many lightly loaded planes get slammed into the ground at about the 1/2 way point. I'm sure if I was 500 foot up, it wouldn't have been an issue