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Old 27th February 2003 | 10:39
  #33 (permalink)  
FlyingForFun

Why do it if it's not fun?
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,782
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From: Bournemouth
No. No No No NO NO!!!

The wind has absolutely NO effect on aircraft performance. Ever. Full stop.

What you are getting confused with is the visual effects which can happen if you're close to the ground. During the turn, the wind will make the aircraft appear to be skidding across the sky very much out of balance, when in actual fact it is in balance. The pilot then (mistakenly) increases the amount of bank angle, which increases the stall speed and takes the aircraft out of balance - and that's a recipe for a stall/spin. It's not the wind that causes it, it's the pilot. I have to say I've never heard a first-hand (or even second-hand) story of anyone falling foul of this, but I have read lots of old wives tales.

The only time that wind can cause control difficulties, apart from take-off and landing, is in wind-shear. Any other time, the aircraft's movement is always relative to the air mass, regardless of what the air mass is doing.

FFF
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