Help! Recommend Wind Speed to fly in?
- Thread starter mayan
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Hai-Lee
Old and Bold RC PILOT
Max wind speed actually depends upon the area in which you are trying to fly.
If you are flying over open and treeless terrain then you could fly in speeds upto about 50% of the planes maximum speed but if flying in a tree ringed small field I would recommend that anything over around 5MPH could give even an experienced pilot nightmares.
The reason is something called turbulence! Strong turbulence can occur at moderate windspeeds even to the point of slamming the plane into the ground in level flight or hurling it sideways and into trees or other obstacles.
If you do not feel comfortable at the windspeed then do not go flying and wait for another day. You will find that some planes handle wind and turbulence better than others and once you work out which are the best for you, you can use them to determine when the wind speed is too high for your level of skill.
Have fun!
If you are flying over open and treeless terrain then you could fly in speeds upto about 50% of the planes maximum speed but if flying in a tree ringed small field I would recommend that anything over around 5MPH could give even an experienced pilot nightmares.
The reason is something called turbulence! Strong turbulence can occur at moderate windspeeds even to the point of slamming the plane into the ground in level flight or hurling it sideways and into trees or other obstacles.
If you do not feel comfortable at the windspeed then do not go flying and wait for another day. You will find that some planes handle wind and turbulence better than others and once you work out which are the best for you, you can use them to determine when the wind speed is too high for your level of skill.
Have fun!
Hai-Lee
Old and Bold RC PILOT
If I suspect that the wind speed may be a little too high I do an upwind run and then a downwind run. If the upwind run takes more than 3 times the time to cover the same distance as on the downwind leg then it is time to look for a safe place to land!
It all really depends upon your skill level! I fly in fairly high wind but then my field is ringed by trees so there can be serious turbulence. As I fly regularly I have learned where the turbulence is strongest with most wind directions. To judge how bad the turbulence has become I fly close to, BUT NOT INTO, the areas of extreme upset and check how bad the turbulence has become. If it is bad I keep clear of the effected areas or just quite flying for the day!
I do a fair bit of test flying so I cannot have weeks without flying so have learned to make the best of what I have access to. I do not recommend others flying in the extreme turbulence I often find myself flying in. (I occasionally end up in the trees or in the ground but then I suppose I deserve it some days).
Have fun!
It all really depends upon your skill level! I fly in fairly high wind but then my field is ringed by trees so there can be serious turbulence. As I fly regularly I have learned where the turbulence is strongest with most wind directions. To judge how bad the turbulence has become I fly close to, BUT NOT INTO, the areas of extreme upset and check how bad the turbulence has become. If it is bad I keep clear of the effected areas or just quite flying for the day!
I do a fair bit of test flying so I cannot have weeks without flying so have learned to make the best of what I have access to. I do not recommend others flying in the extreme turbulence I often find myself flying in. (I occasionally end up in the trees or in the ground but then I suppose I deserve it some days).
Have fun!
mayan
Legendary member
Am asking cause I love flying getting that time to just let my mind wonder with the plane in the sky is a spectacular feeling. With that being said I don’t have all that many spare electronics hanging around and decided to stop buying locally because it’s just so much more expensive. So trying to think twice before I fly double checking the CRAP on every crash. I did go flying today and according to google it was about 18-20 km/hr had two crashes and decided to call it a day after I tore the battery connection on the ESC.
There's no exact answer to your question. The windier it is, the harder it is to fly. Personally, I normally only go to the flying field if the weather forecast says the wind is 15mph or less. I don't find it much more difficult flying when it's windy, but I do find it tedious, when you have to spend most of the time flying back to the square.
To expand on the turbulence thing: When the horizontal wind meets an object, it has to climb over it, then it'll dip back down the other side and carry on level again. That means if you fly near a tree, building, hedge or fence on the side the wind comes from, then your plane will shoot up in the air, and if you fly near them on the down-wind side, your plane will jump towards the ground. there will also be similar sideways effects for the trees and buildings, but not for hedges and fences. Understanding this principle helps a lot when you fly in disturbed air.
Here's a picture that shows it:
To expand on the turbulence thing: When the horizontal wind meets an object, it has to climb over it, then it'll dip back down the other side and carry on level again. That means if you fly near a tree, building, hedge or fence on the side the wind comes from, then your plane will shoot up in the air, and if you fly near them on the down-wind side, your plane will jump towards the ground. there will also be similar sideways effects for the trees and buildings, but not for hedges and fences. Understanding this principle helps a lot when you fly in disturbed air.
Here's a picture that shows it:
I agree with Tjhochha, 5-6 mph is a good limit for a noob. Once you get some skills you can fly in more wind. With some experience 10-12 mph wind is a lot of fun. You can fly backwards.
Paracodespoder
Elite member
It depends, what type of plane are you flying?
Good point, It got to be dead calm for a Vapor.
I’ve seen a lot of pilots who never learned to fly in the wind. They ground themselves when it’s not necessary.
It also depends on the wind, for me the gustyness of the wind is more important than the speed, that is up to a point. A gusty 8 mph wind may ground me, but a steady 10 mph wind is a lot of fun.
Hai-Lee
Old and Bold RC PILOT
My TT is difficult to control easily beyond about 10KPH winds though I can and do fly it with wind speeds beyond that.
Set yourself a limit, (10KPH?), and then experiment with the limit. If it is too fast the flying experience will be uncomfortable and so you lower your self imposed limit, but if it is ok for you then you could increase the limit slightly,
We are all different, our planes are all different, and where we fly is obviously different so you need to find and set your own limit.
I still crash on windy days but then that is because I am always trying to push the limits for both me and the planes I fly. (Mind you I do not risk those aircraft that I cannot afford to replace or do not want to risk damaging!).
have fun!
Set yourself a limit, (10KPH?), and then experiment with the limit. If it is too fast the flying experience will be uncomfortable and so you lower your self imposed limit, but if it is ok for you then you could increase the limit slightly,
We are all different, our planes are all different, and where we fly is obviously different so you need to find and set your own limit.
I still crash on windy days but then that is because I am always trying to push the limits for both me and the planes I fly. (Mind you I do not risk those aircraft that I cannot afford to replace or do not want to risk damaging!).
have fun!
mayan
Legendary member
That was touching...
From all the comments here I learned a lot so thank you. I learned something new called tureblance. I confirmed something I felt was right and that is that anything from 0-6 km/hr should be nice and easy to learn at. But with that being said, learning is all about expriementing and pushing the limits. I think I know now that I could fly ok at speeds of up to 10 km/hr, but will give flying at 10 km/hr and up at least another try.
I've flown my Sea Duck in winds that others wouldn't fly in - 15-20 mph winds. That said, landing was hellish; I was nose in to the wind, trying to land, and had to go full throttle to get the plane to come forward enough to put it over the runway, and about 3/4 throttle to get it to land!
I would NOT recommend trying to fly in those conditions - while the wind may be steady from one direction, and you have no turbulence, trying to land, or even bring it back, might be incredibly difficult.
I would NOT recommend trying to fly in those conditions - while the wind may be steady from one direction, and you have no turbulence, trying to land, or even bring it back, might be incredibly difficult.
Bricks
Master member
I would NOT recommend trying to fly in those conditions - while the wind may be steady from one direction, and you have no turbulence, trying to land, or even bring it back, might be incredibly difficult.
One f the reasons I like to over power anything I build right or wrong, me personally I hate an under powered or adequate powered plane. Probably comes from flying 3D a lot.
One f the reasons I like to over power anything I build right or wrong, me personally I hate an under powered or adequate powered plane. Probably comes from flying 3D a lot.
Now that i have been flying for a few years i actually prefer to have a nice steady wind on maiden's. But yeah when you are just starting out and you turn into that crosswind...its exciting 
But yeah when you are just starting out and you turn into that crosswind...its exciting
A Yea there are times the cheeks get pretty tight.
When my dad and I used to go off-roading, we called the tightening "pucker factor", and we joked that if you were scared enough, you didn't need any seat restraints - the pucker would keep you glued to your seat.
At least, that's what I told my wife, and it's why she'll never go off-roading with me.
