downwind turn
Sorry checkerboard
I doubt you have spent any time doing such manoeuvres in a low mass aircraft with a high wind speed and airspeed ratio, where it is obvious.
Its NO illusion
The visible effect is that you have to lose height as you turn downwind or your airspeed decays.
Even more noticeable is how suddenly you regain that airspeed and height as you turn back into wind
There is another factor involved which could explain it, but I'll leave that for you to find out from your gliding experience
Strata,
(I think you got your take-off wind gradient inverted)
Sorry, forget I said that, I misunderstood that you were climbing through gradient on take off, but actually you referred to wind gradient climbing down wind. In the cases I quote the aircraft were descending downwind, no engine power
Funnily enough I detected the biggest changes occur During the turn , not once youve settled straight downwind
Last edited by wilyflier; 4th November 2011 at 21:48.