Low wind high gust

muddy00

muddy00

Pre-takeoff checklist
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muddy00
So I'm looking at a cross country next week and the afternoon of my return flight weather looks good although I know it will change as its 5 days out. But currently they are forecasting winds 8 mph gusting 23 south / SE. We would be heading north. Im seeing biggest risk on taxi takeoff, destination airport forecasted 8 knots. So I guess my question is would evryone scrap he flight or do they feel it's doable ?


Guess I should of put in here. If this was the current weather what would you do.
 
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as Greg notes, be patient.

The other problem with a question like that is only you know your skillset and aircraft so what I'm comfortable with has little bearing on your situation.

Now if you'd like to discuss ways to deal with large gust factors then we have a basis to talk.
 
Clark1961 said:
as Greg notes, be patient.

The other problem with a question like that is only you know your skillset and aircraft so what I'm comfortable with has little bearing on your situation.

Now if you'd like to discuss ways to deal with large gust factors then we have a basis to talk.
Click to expand...

Ok then let's talk about large gust factors.
 
muddy00 said:
Ok then let's talk about large gust factors.
Click to expand...

Okay, on landing how do we handle gusts? We add half the gust factor to the approach speed then land normally. Crosswinds can make it interesting and folks have various opinions on flaps but generally using full flaps and landing as slow as possible is accepted as the safest thing to do.

So you notice that I start off with approach/landing discussion. Why do that? Well, if you aren't comfortable landing in the current conditions then don't bother departing. Why? because you might have to land immediately if the engine goes "bang" or some other problem develops.

Okay, so we're through the first question of can we land in the current conditions. If we can land then we can depart. How do we do that? Remember to hold appropriate controls while taxing - look at the windsock because the ATIS or AWOS might be telling a story. Even with a nose dragger hold appropriate controls.
On the take-off roll I use neutral trim and then add half the gust factor to the rotation speed. Climb at Vy as normal and don't mess around near the ground. That's about it for me.
 
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For take-off, I do a rotation a little more aggressively than normal, but just slightly above normal Vr. Point is to get the tires off the tarmac so they don't side-slide. Then, hold the aircraft in ground effect until you reach Vy (think soft-field T/O).

I agree with adding 1/2 the gust factor for the approach (although 5 kts is basically in the noise and can be discounted). Flaps are used as one normally would.

Ditto crosswinds. No change in procedure, except bank into the wind and put the upwind wheel down first. Flaps have nothing to do with crosswinds, especially at 8 knots --- you aren't slipping enough for the aircraft to care at that point. With a direct 23 knot crosswind, yeah; but you are already over the demonstrated limit and your ground handling limit experience will probably come into play before the flight procedures limits do.
 
or

use full landing flaps and normal approach speed. Add only 1/2 gust factor to approach speed.

Landing slow with flaps is safer.
 
The cleaner the plane is, the less a gust is going to make airspeed fluctuate. I add half the gust factor and 20 flaps given runway length is adequate.
 
The problem with gusts,are you can encounter ,wind shear when landing. Carry a little more speed and power into the landing. Also only you can determine what your comfortable with.
 
Don't forget about options. It's all about options. Wind gusts nearly aligned with the runway? - great...no problem. X-wind gusts @ 23mph? That's a bit much for me, personally, but I'd try the approach, hold in the corrections, and feel it out. Set yourself on a hair trigger for a go-around. Then the options come in....

Is there another airport with better wind alignment within fuel range? (or did you cut yourself too short on fuel to have that as an option.
 
As already stated, if its 5 days out its still a bit early, keep an eye on it around 2-3 days out and see if anything changes.
 
For takeoff I'll hold the plane on the ground for as long as I can. At about 60 it flies no matter what. I try to get 70-80 while in ground effect before I tangle with the wind rotors at the treetops. On landings I use normal control feel and try to make my approach steeper. That diminishes the gust impact on the plane. Again I have to deal with wind rotors. A steeper approach is way better/more controllable than a flat approach. In both cases I use normal flaps.
 
Instead of scrapping the flight if winds are as forecast, maybe you should fly with an instructor. Winds of those velocities are common enough that you should get that experience under your belt and be able to confidently make the go no-go decision in the future.
 
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