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Old 6th Mar 2007, 18:47
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CareBear
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Land of the Brave
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Low Flier,
The comments above pretty much sum things up - I operate twice weekly out to St Kilda.

It is a great place to go during the summer, on a nice day, when the wind is blowing about 10kts from the SE. Any other time and conditions and Kilda can bite !! That's not to say it can't be done, but in strong winds I think it is definately one of those " you shouldn't go until you've been with someone who has done it before" pads. It is very easy to end up with four different wind speeds / directions just within the bay when the wind is strong, and trying to work out what is a safe flight profile can be tricky. It is also quite often the case that you fly an into wind approach and discover that the 400 yards just before the pad is actually downwind and or vertical !!! It then all changes again in the last 50 yards. To sum up - in strong winds Kilda is unpredictable !!! As a general rule, when the wind is strong, I always plan on being as light as possible on arrival so as to ensure the biggest power margin available. There are one or two "routes" in and out of the bay that I have discovered seem to avoid most of the bad turbulence and I would be happy to provide advice if you get permission - but that's where I think you will find the stumbling block. As Smudge has already said, things are pretty much controlled and limited these days !!!
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