Spring Winds . . .

The winds are up again, to much to fly our little airplanes.  The larger ones may do okay but out little ones get bounced all over the place, especially when landing if the wind is gusty and off the center line of the runway.

If the winds are consistent, and they rarely are when they are up a bit, and down the runway, it is not a problem.  It makes flying interesting in that going down wind you really move along, up wind is kinda slow.  So half the time you are whizzing along and half the time you seem like you are dragging an anchor behind the plane. 

The little airplanes tend to climb in the wind as wind over the wings speeds up.  So you reset your elevator trim down, and then you turn the corner and you find the plane is heading to the ground with all that extra elevator change.  So you adjust and adapt to climbing going one way and descending going the other way.  Add that to the tail wind pushing you along faster and it becomes fun.

And sometimes you will even encounter a bit of wind sheer.  The wind is down the runway and you get off and climb to about 30 or 40 feet above ground and the wind is going another direction.

But then that is all in the flying of the machine.  In windy climes such as we have, you get used to it.  Out in Arizona, the winds were consistent, easterly in the AM and westerly in the PM.  Here we  may get south east, east, west and northern winds.  Often changing from south to north during the day when a front comes through, gets cooler too.

It is never a take off factor.  We have so much power to weight ratio that we can get off in 10 or even at worst 50 feet of roll on the runway.  Once in the air a competent pilot can fly.  It is when one wants to land that things get out of hand.  That is when cross winds and gusty winds present problems.

But you gotta handle what you gets.  That's the way it is.