WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION?

[flyerme]

Hello ,ok im waiting to fly my thruster for the first time and have been waiting for best conditions,now I have 2 wind socks sepersted by 300 mtrs and a hight difference of 5 ft,

 

I want to know why they almost never face the same way? wind layers? I dont want to test it if theirs wind layers... any help sherlock s.a 5301

 

 

[turboplanner]

With your narrow strip I agree, calm conditions will be worth waiting for rather than risk repairs by getting blown across slightly on TO or landing.

 

 

[facthunter]

Unless you are fluent in thruster, why don't you take it somewhere less demanding to begin with? You don't go narrow strips till you are well on top. Nev

 

 

[J170 Owner]

How much wind are the socks indicating? If they are just 'swinging in the breeze' then it probably doesn't mean much, go do a low level tight circuit. In your last sentence, there is no such word as 'theirs'. This should read 'there are'. 'There is' is abbreviated to there's. Example "There's a lack of common courtesy these days."

 

 

[flyerme]

already come back form benalla doing my time is jims thruster and last flight we encouted severe wind layers.. wind sock was dead and at 50 ft I hit 1 layer and 200 ft another in other direction and so forth.

 

coming in to land the same thing,and still a dead wind sock...that said my thruster was test flown and plane handels very different compared to its two seat brother and was told to fly it first in no wind or under 3knott head wind...so mt question remains if 1 wind sock says per fect 1 knott head wind due nth and the other 300 mtrs away and 5 ft taller and lighter wieght reads 1 knott cross wind est is this s ign of wind layers? of the differwns in sock wieght lenght hight etc..... ps have a new stip

 

 

[Tex]

No, not any sort of 'wind layer' at ground level or with 5ft difference. There may be some parasitic drag that would effect the lower wind strength and direction indication but with 1kt of wind expect the wind socks at that distance to point in any direction, all directions and opposite directions. With 1kt pic the average between the two and use that as direction...

 

I don't fly thrusters but what you are describing I would treat as 'light and variable' and land or take off on the best direction for the strip and all but forget about the windsocks and just fly the plane and picture.

 

Edit: I do not think what you describe at Benalla are different 'layers' but would be turbulence and convective/thermic activity.

 

 

[flyerme]

OK,at 6:30am on 6/1/12 the wind on all 3 socks was blowing a southerly at a steady 2-3 knotts. I took off and turned south only to descover accuall wind was nth at 7-8 knotts. at 100 ft(climb out very shallow,followed by 30 Deg right ailron downwind(7-8knt x -wind) ,bass leg had me hovering ). my thruster performed perfectly with no apperent weather cocking on final just a slight drift and at around 200 ft she tracked strieght to a perfect greased wheeler......hmm.. me love me new birdy.... only the slightest turbulance on finnal over next doors header...smooth as a button

 

 

[pudestcon]

OK,at 6:30am on 6/1/12 the wind on all 3 socks was blowing a southerly at a steady 2-3 knotts. I took off and turned south only to descover accuall wind was nth at 7-8 knotts. at 100 ft(climb out very shallow,followed by 30 Deg right ailron downwind ,bass leg had me hovering ). my thruster performed perfectly with no apperent weather cocking on final just a slight drift and at around 200 ft she tracked strieght to a perfect greased wheeler......hmm.. me love me new birdy.... only the slightest turbulance on finnal over next doors header...smooth as a button

Congratulations flyerme, awonderful feeling flying your own Thruster eh? I think we get a bit paranoid about wind direction and speed when first taking a new, unfamiliar aircraft for a flight - especially a Thruster which can be a handful and prone to groundloop if you aren't 'on it'. When I took my Thruster to her new home on my mate's farm at "Wirraway" North Gabbin the wind was from the West around 5kts. I landed on 28 which has a downhill component, then took off on 28 to do some familiarisation of the area. I landed on 10, 24 and 28 - left out 06 for no other reason than I wanted to land and have a talk:smile: Always took off on 28 though to take advantage of the head wind and downhill component.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that once you are familiar with your Thruster, light winds shouldn't be any problem at all, and varying wind direction indications from different wind socks should be no cause for concern in such light wind conditions.

 

Pud

 

 

[turboplanner]

Fantastic success story flyerme, you're a hero!

 

I was wondering how you were going and spent an hour yesterday trying to find the friggin thread.

 

What size are the wind socks?

 

Are they all the same?

 

Do they have bearings for free rotation?

 

Above a few knots they should both be facing the same way, so I'm thinking the problem is drag.

 

 

[flyerme]

Congratulations flyerme, awonderful feeling flying your own Thruster eh? I think we get a bit paranoid about wind direction and speed when first taking a new, unfamiliar aircraft for a flight - especially a Thruster which can be a handful and prone to groundloop if you aren't 'on it'. When I took my Thruster to her new home on my mate's farm at "Wirraway" North Gabbin the wind was from the West around 5kts. I landed on 28 which has a downhill component, then took off on 28 to do some familiarisation of the area. I landed on 10, 24 and 28 - left out 06 for no other reason than I wanted to land and have a talk:smile: Always took off on 28 though to take advantage of the head wind and downhill component.Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that once you are familiar with your Thruster, light winds shouldn't be any problem at all, and varying wind direction indications from different wind socks should be no cause for concern in such light wind conditions.

Pud

Thanks Pud, had my best mate at the end of the runway with a cattle prod...lol yeh all happy and the paranoier and anxiety all gone....I really love my thruster and the ground loop factor! non exsistant..what a beautifull little plane

 

 

[flyerme]

Fantastic success story flyerme, you're a hero!I was wondering how you were going and spent an hour yesterday trying to find the friggin thread.

What size are the wind socks?

 

Are they all the same?

 

Do they have bearings for free rotation?

 

Above a few knots they should both be facing the same way, so I'm thinking the problem is drag.

Hey turboplanner, yeh spoke to Jim Kuthill (cfi on thrusters at benalla) all 3 socks are different mateirial and different size,s ,2 are free and 1 on bearings...so drag/wieght etc.. 100% issue

so conclusion......just have 1 sock...lmfao damn my obsession with sowing up windsocks.......

 

thanks to all ,and now relaxed and back soloing, Im in heaven...

 

.whats that ? install a radio? did you not hear me? ..im in heaven...ahhh the serenity and no "thruster 0404 are you coming down now you need to take the bin out...and ya son needs changing"

 

take care my good people and Ill see you in the air sometime.