Originally Posted by
teleport
Currently see winds 248 at 15 gusting 26.
Well, I can assure you that isnt so bad, as I have landed light aircraft in similar (but not at Heathrow!!), especially as Heathrow/Gatwick have East/West runways. I have landed in 25Kts straight down the runway with no problem whatsoever in a light aeroplane - I would not land in a 25Kt crosswind though. The real problem for light aeroplanes with higher windspeeds (say 30kts+) is really taxiing around when you have landed.
I dont fly heavy metal, so stand to be corrected, but I think you will find that similarly for Airliners, a constant higher speed wind is OK, depending upon direction relative to the runway (ie straight down the runway) but the real problem for pilots is gusting wind and the variable direction of the wind, or even both together !!! Obviously Airliner limits would be higher than for a light aeroplane though.
Regards, SD..