PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
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My rule of thumb as an instructor in light airplaneswas when the winds began to get sustained at more than 20 knots and get gusty.. it's time to reconsider flying, especially touch and goes.
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Why? Does something about the way the aircraft flies change when you go over twenty or thirty knots of wind? There is basically only two things that you have to worry in the wind, basically the crosswind component, and the gust factor. Your going to know in the flare if your going to have enough rudder and aileron to keep the thing straight, if you don’t just go around. As far the gust factor, it’s eleven knots, just add that to your approach speed and if all the sudden you lose the whole gust factor the airplane won’t fall out the sky. I wasn’t there but it sounds like you guys had the right idea, flying at 80 knots on final giving you better controllability, do your slowing down in the flare where if you lose a gust and the airplane quits flying just like you want. At a 7000 foot strip you can float half way down easily and still turn off before the end.
With my students I always tried to fly when it was windy, when it was IFR, etc…because it was good experience. Most of you seem to want to make this your career, and when it’s your job you don’t pack it in because the weather sucks. Soon enough your company will want you to take a jet into a 5000 foot strip, winds 41 gusting 50, low ceilings, etc… and you’ll be glad you know if you can do it safely, and how do it safely.
I can’t believe you guys are ragging on his instructor. Nobody except him was in a position to judge the safety of the flight. As long as there is an out, such as an airport nearby with winds down the runway, I would have no problem going up based on what CKid said so far.
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Just to stick up for myself here... I was typically one of the last instructors to be flying as the weather was going down, and the first one to be going out once it became flyable again... filed local IFR nearly every morning to get my private students on top to practive manuevers as well as see what it's like in the clouds.... gusty wind conditions...definitely. It's good practice when they are ready and if it is safe. Sometimes, it's just no safe or fun and time to pack it in. A 53,000 pound jet and a 2000 pound single engine trainer with a lawnmower strapped to the front isnt exactly the same thing. It's great to challegne the kiddies, but only if they were comfortable.
Of course nothing changes at a certain number.... i have landed the planes that I have flown in well over the demo'd crosswind component before... did a 50 knot direct crosswind landing in the CRJ sim the other night in some spare time at the end of a lesson (demo;d crosswind is 27 knots). That was just where i began to start drawing the line....had the door latches broken on the airplanes a few times and the cowls scratched trying to get out in over 25 knot wind conditions...one of the reasons for that, especially with southerly winds due to our parking spots where i used to teach. When a student gets scared...they stop learning... something that is essential for an instructor to realize. I had to be careful who I took up when it was rough.
I was strictly putting in my input and my judgement as an experienced instructor into this topic and how to handle crosswind landings. Of course...pilot stories are like fish stories and tend to be exaggerrated, as this story likely was to some extent or another. Peace and humptiness and happy new year!
Quote:
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My rule of thumb as an instructor in light airplaneswas when the winds began to get sustained at more than 20 knots and get gusty.. it's time to reconsider flying, especially touch and goes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why? Does something about the way the aircraft flies change when you go over twenty or thirty knots of wind? There is basically only two things that you have to worry in the wind, basically the crosswind component, and the gust factor. Your going to know in the flare if your going to have enough rudder and aileron to keep the thing straight, if you don’t just go around. As far the gust factor, it’s eleven knots, just add that to your approach speed and if all the sudden you lose the whole gust factor the airplane won’t fall out the sky. I wasn’t there but it sounds like you guys had the right idea, flying at 80 knots on final giving you better controllability, do your slowing down in the flare where if you lose a gust and the airplane quits flying just like you want. At a 7000 foot strip you can float half way down easily and still turn off before the end.
With my students I always tried to fly when it was windy, when it was IFR, etc…because it was good experience. Most of you seem to want to make this your career, and when it’s your job you don’t pack it in because the weather sucks. Soon enough your company will want you to take a jet into a 5000 foot strip, winds 41 gusting 50, low ceilings, etc… and you’ll be glad you know if you can do it safely, and how do it safely.
I can’t believe you guys are ragging on his instructor. Nobody except him was in a position to judge the safety of the flight. As long as there is an out, such as an airport nearby with winds down the runway, I would have no problem going up based on what CKid said so far.
[/ QUOTE ]
Just to stick up for myself here... I was typically one of the last instructors to be flying as the weather was going down, and the first one to be going out once it became flyable again... filed local IFR nearly every morning to get my private students on top to practive manuevers as well as see what it's like in the clouds.... gusty wind conditions...definitely. It's good practice when they are ready and if it is safe. Sometimes, it's just no safe or fun and time to pack it in. A 53,000 pound jet and a 2000 pound single engine trainer with a lawnmower strapped to the front isnt exactly the same thing. It's great to challegne the kiddies, but only if they were comfortable.
Of course nothing changes at a certain number.... i have landed the planes that I have flown in well over the demo'd crosswind component before... did a 50 knot direct crosswind landing in the CRJ sim the other night in some spare time at the end of a lesson (demo;d crosswind is 27 knots). That was just where i began to start drawing the line....had the door latches broken on the airplanes a few times and the cowls scratched trying to get out in over 25 knot wind conditions...one of the reasons for that, especially with southerly winds due to our parking spots where i used to teach. When a student gets scared...they stop learning... something that is essential for an instructor to realize. I had to be careful who I took up when it was rough.
I was strictly putting in my input and my judgement as an experienced instructor into this topic and how to handle crosswind landings. Of course...pilot stories are like fish stories and tend to be exaggerrated, as this story likely was to some extent or another. Peace and humptiness and happy new year!
