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By: - 22nd May 2011 at 19:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Tell me about it, most frustrating!!!!!
By: - 23rd May 2011 at 01:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Will this cursed wind ever let up ?Weekend after weekend has been blighted for us 'fair-weather' flyers. Gusting 20 knots might just about be do-able for the PA-28 brigade, but for those of us who fly stick-and-cloth machines, it is just not on.
Here on the northern edge of the London TMA, the week-end summer sky is normally throbbing with light aeroplanes, but today, one Chipmunk plodding back from Panshanger, and two red kites going backwards !
Maybe the answer is to get a glider, and go ridge-soaring. :rolleyes:
Several years ago this country was designated a Windy Country. And the winds never drop below 15mph average unless a high comes along and then it is 3mph.
When I learned to fly fixed-wing in the late 1970s there were always lots of days of 8-10kt on the field. Those days are long gone. With low-level wind increase comes rotor turbulence almost exponentially. So even if we do get to fly it can be ugly and unfun. I have been paragliding once in a month at a time when cross-country gliding is good.
I think we have to accept that the weather is changing. If you want to fly a tiger or micro-light watch out when taxying crosswind! :(
We need to hope the jetstream moves further north in the coming month. ;)
By: - 23rd May 2011 at 14:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Several years ago this country was designated a Windy Country.
;)
Who was the idiot who voted for that ? I expect there is EU monkey-business going on somewhere. They have messed around with it, and now someone has broken the wind.
They should set the wind back to what it was.
By: - 23rd May 2011 at 15:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Who was the idiot who voted for that ? I expect there is EU monkey-business going on somewhere. They have messed around with it, and now someone has broken the wind.They should set the wind back to what it was.
I think if the UK leaves the EU everything will return to normal. :)
By: - 25th May 2011 at 11:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Leave now!!!:diablo:
By: - 25th May 2011 at 14:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Here on the northern edge of the London TMA, the week-end summer sky is normally throbbing with light aeroplanes, but today, one Chipmunk plodding back from Panshanger, and two red kites going backwards !
Veering slightly off-topic, Propstrike, but taking the cue from your post - I was out walking the dog over near Panshanger airfield last week when I noticed what I took to be a Red Kite soaring aloft in the wind over the strip, and doing a good job of travelling backwards. I wasn't aware that there were any in the London area, thanks for confirming my sighting.(Now an expert twitcher is going to post and say it wasn't a Red Kite, but a Bengalese fish-eating Parrot or something).
By: - 26th May 2011 at 13:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Some slacker conditions due on Friday, we are off to do some local flying from Inverness.
By: - 28th May 2011 at 02:05 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Veering slightly off-topic, Propstrike, but taking the cue from your post - I was out walking the dog over near Panshanger airfield last week when I noticed what I took to be a Red Kite soaring aloft in the wind over the strip, and doing a good job of travelling backwards. I wasn't aware that there were any in the London area, thanks for confirming my sighting.(Now an expert twitcher is going to post and say it wasn't a Red Kite, but a Bengalese fish-eating Parrot or something).
That's correct, 91Regal. The Red Kite community has made it east toward the M25 I think (and as far west as Westbury) but not as far as Panshanger because the bird respects its ATZ. What you saw was undoubtedly a Bengalese fish-eating Parrot. Or a Yellow-breasted Nit Picker on a rare visit from Siberia. Neither of these birds respects aviaton law or nits.:cool:
By: - 29th May 2011 at 11:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Several years ago this country was designated a Windy Country. And the winds never drop below 15mph average unless a high comes along and then it is 3mph.That comment about regular 8-10 knot winds made me think back and I don't think I've ever been gliding in anything less.When I learned to fly fixed-wing in the late 1970s there were always lots of days of 8-10kt on the field. Those days are long gone. With low-level wind increase comes rotor turbulence almost exponentially. So even if we do get to fly it can be ugly and unfun. I have been paragliding once in a month at a time when cross-country gliding is good.
I think we have to accept that the weather is changing. If you want to fly a tiger or micro-light watch out when taxying crosswind! :(
We need to hope the jetstream moves further north in the coming month. ;)
By: - 29th May 2011 at 20:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Popped into the Breighton Charity Fly-in by road mid afternoon. Only a handful of aircraft had visited over a two day event, rather than a regular 100+ when the weather is right.
At one time British events used to be 'rained-off', perhaps we have need of a new expression for fly-in events 'winded-off', or 'blown-off' are the first that come to mind.
So much effort is spent preparing for events up and down the country, then another windy weekend - so fustrating for organisers, fliers and enthusiasts.
By: - 30th May 2011 at 00:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Popped into the Breighton Charity Fly-in by road mid afternoon. Only a handful of aircraft had visited over a two day event, rather than a regular 100+ when the weather is right.At one time British events used to be 'rained-off', perhaps we have need of a new expression for fly-in events 'winded-off', or 'blown-off' are the first that come to mind.
So much event preparing for events up and down the country, then another windy weekend - so fustrating for organisers, flyers and enthusiasts.
Yes. VMC events have always been messed up by our British weather. As you say, it used to be low cloud and rain that did it. Now it is gusty winds. :rolleyes:
By: - 5th June 2011 at 21:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Veering slightly off-topic, Propstrike, but taking the cue from your post - I was out walking the dog over near Panshanger airfield last week when I noticed what I took to be a Red Kite soaring aloft in the wind over the strip, and doing a good job of travelling backwards. I wasn't aware that there were any in the London area, thanks for confirming my sighting.(Now an expert twitcher is going to post and say it wasn't a Red Kite, but a Bengalese fish-eating Parrot or something).They were saying on Springwatch the other night that Buzzards are the commonest bird of prey in Britain but these days I reckon the Red Kite is far more numerous, certainly around Oxfordshire any way and I have noticed the same trend elsewhere.
By: - 24th June 2011 at 20:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
As a final postscript to this hijacked thread, a local twitcher tells me that there are 7 pairs of Red Kites living within four miles of Panshanger, so they've spread over a wider area than I thought.
By: - 9th July 2011 at 10:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
To return to the original quaestion in this thread my answer is not if the weather over the last few days is anything to go by.
Posts: 3,902
By: Propstrike - 22nd May 2011 at 19:36
Will this cursed wind ever let up ?
Weekend after weekend has been blighted for us 'fair-weather' flyers. Gusting 20 knots might just about be do-able for the PA-28 brigade, but for those of us who fly stick-and-cloth machines, it is just not on.
Here on the northern edge of the London TMA, the week-end summer sky is normally throbbing with light aeroplanes, but today, one Chipmunk plodding back from Panshanger, and two red kites going backwards !
Maybe the answer is to get a glider, and go ridge-soaring. :rolleyes: