Which way is the wind blowing ?

[Non-Driver]

Sounds like a daft question, but as a non-pilot who flies regularly I am forever puzzled by the use of the term "Westerly" (or any other -ly). When I was at school Westerly meant from the West as in the UK has prevailing westerlies. Yet whenever I hear over the flightdeck pa we're taking off on a Westerly runway it means the exact opposite. In a dictionary it gives both diametrically opposite definitions (bit like flammable & inflammable).

What am I missing here as this seems to be a bizarre safety risk in aviation :confused:

[Gordy]

"Westerly wind"--The wind is coming from the west.

"Westerly runway"--You are taking off TO the west. ie. INTO the wind.

Be confused no more.

[VeeAny]

At the risk of over simplifying things a wind from the West is a Westerly. If you take off into wind you would face West, and if available use a Westerly Runway if in an aeroplane (its a bit easier for us helicopter pilots because we can usually find a way to take into the wind no matter which way it is coming from).

Once you know that these things work like this I don't thinks its exactly a safety issue if some tells you the wind is Southerly (from 180 degrees or south) and you then know you need to aim to land into wind facing approximately south when you do so.

HTH

Gary

[yellowbird135]

Here's another one: Westerly wind > wind coming from the west (more or less)
Westerly surface current (at sea) > water current coming from the east flowing to the west.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:


YB

[VeeAny]

YB

They don't let me near the sea in case I get anything wet so I can't help you.

GS

[800]

the wind is always from the ......... (the ..ly") direction given and,
you always take-off in the direction nominated!
hope that makes it easy:ok:
800

[Milt]

Damn those early sailors - they got it all arse about.
Now we have to live with it.
Didn't know it applies to ocean currents also! Are there any others?

Then there are those terrible twins - Port and Starboard. They never did come instintively to me and when I called a "Break Port" to avoid enemy fire my finger four section went in two directions. Soon after was able to ban their use in the RAAF at the same time we went decimal with flying hours.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Non Driver, you're right to be confused. The use of the expression "Westerly runway" is a nonsense and is only used by the (far too many) people who don't think about making comprehensible PAs. The only way a runway can be the westerly one is if two are more are arranged north/south. It cannot, and does not mean pointing in a westerly direction in non-aviation English.
It is an expression that I guarantee not one pax in 100 will understand.
Don't use it!
(What's wrong with landing in a westerly direction, or from the east, as if it matters. Come to think of it, how many pax even know where west is?)
Think before you make PAs with technical or aviation jargon!

[[email protected]]

To be a pedant - flammable and inflammable mean exactly the same thing - which is why safety signs say flammable because inflammable conjurs up the opposite.

[alouette3]

Back in the Navy, we were always toldTIDE IS TO and WIND IS FROM.I agree the old sailors made it tough on themselves and others.Way back in the Ancient Mariner days when they said "hard a port" they really meant stern to port instead of the stem(head/nose to the land lubbers).Hence the apparent error in the Titanic movie:confused:.Yes, go watch it again and see which way the helmsman throws the wheel when the OOW (Officer Of the Watch to the land lubbers------sigh!!) orders hard a starboard.
Sorry, got off the subject a bit but could'nt resist a little bit of trivia.:8

[MightyGem]

Way back in the Ancient Mariner days when they said "hard a port"
Doesn't that originate back to the use of a tiller rather than a wheel, when if you wanted to turn to port you had to move the tiller to staboard?

[alouette3]

Mighty Gem:

You are absolutely correct.But ,unfortunately, it carried over into the big ships and liners right until the twenties.They finally got it right,and today(thankfully!) you turn the wheel in the dierction you want the "boat " to go.