I've been flying on and off for the past 20 years or so. I have close to 300 hours logged in various Cessnas, Pipers, and Diamonds. Wind has never been an issue for me. Some of the most fun I've had in an airplane is greasing a landing with a 20kt gusting crosswind.
Recently I got back into flying the only way I could afford - ultralights. Well Canadian ultralights to be exact. Ours can be significantly heavier than the US Part 103 ultralights. Mine weighs just under double the weight of an American one, but still, it's quite light and very susceptible to wind. Because of this, I'm now quite apprehensive about flying in anything over a light breeze. I've been forcing myself to get up on some windier days but the most I've managed until today is about 5 mph.
I finally decided that I'm never gonna get comfortable flying in the wind again until I do it. Today was a great day to get back in the saddle. With a 75 degree crosswind right around 10 mph, I headed off into the wild blue yonder.
It wasn't so bad. A bit of mechanical turbulence near the ground around the tree lines and hill tops, but once I climbed above that it smoothed out quite nicely. It was a bit windier up high. At 2200 feet I calculated a 25 mph headwind. I slowed the plane down to 40 mph just for fun to watch the scenery all but stop.
With tonight's flight under my belt, I feel way more confident flying in the wind. 10 mph is probably good for now but that limit may increase with time.
So what about you guys? What's your comfort level at for flying in the wind? How much wind have you flown in before? Ever been up there wishing you were down here...? :nervous:
Recently I got back into flying the only way I could afford - ultralights. Well Canadian ultralights to be exact. Ours can be significantly heavier than the US Part 103 ultralights. Mine weighs just under double the weight of an American one, but still, it's quite light and very susceptible to wind. Because of this, I'm now quite apprehensive about flying in anything over a light breeze. I've been forcing myself to get up on some windier days but the most I've managed until today is about 5 mph.
I finally decided that I'm never gonna get comfortable flying in the wind again until I do it. Today was a great day to get back in the saddle. With a 75 degree crosswind right around 10 mph, I headed off into the wild blue yonder.
It wasn't so bad. A bit of mechanical turbulence near the ground around the tree lines and hill tops, but once I climbed above that it smoothed out quite nicely. It was a bit windier up high. At 2200 feet I calculated a 25 mph headwind. I slowed the plane down to 40 mph just for fun to watch the scenery all but stop.
With tonight's flight under my belt, I feel way more confident flying in the wind. 10 mph is probably good for now but that limit may increase with time.
So what about you guys? What's your comfort level at for flying in the wind? How much wind have you flown in before? Ever been up there wishing you were down here...? :nervous:
