Wind issues in heavy jets

[vancouv]

As a PPL, if the wind is strong there are occasions when I won't fly, even if it is straight down the runway, as I know it will be very bumpy with lots of windshear, and I don't like flying in it close to the ground.

As it's been pretty blowy recently, I was wondering if a similar scenario arises if you're flying a heavy jet, 747s and the like. Suppose for example the wind is down the runway, so there are no crosswind considerations - are there occasions when you wouldn't take off/make an approach because of the wind - if so, what things would influence your decision?

[Bearcat]

landed gust 64kts last week on a 320....mostly head winds. In this type of weather you carefully pick your fight. windshear is the biggest factor here. landing in amsterdam in gusts of 60kts as against leeds with undullating terrain.....well its a different ball game.

[zerozero]

A very wise pilot once taught me how to make a decision.

Ask yourself, in this order:

--Is it safe?
--Is it legal?
--Is it comfortable for the passengers?

To the new pilot, "legal" often equates to "safe," but with experience you'll find many situations where it's legal to fly but good judgment persuades us otherwise. High winds could be one of those situations.

When flying in high winds, two of the most important considerations (one as alluded to by Bearcat) is whether or not the wind is "steady state" or not.

In other words, I stand a much better chance of making a "stabilized approach" in a *steady* 30 knot wind than in a *gusty* 30 knot wind.

Windshear and turbulence just make our jobs even more difficult, if not impossible, under extreme conditions.

The other consideration, in my opinion, when flying in high winds, is whether or not the runway is contaminated. I have been in a situation (albeit in lighter aircraft) where the wind was straight down the runway and the runway itself was in good condition but the taxiways and ramps were so icy it proved to be impossible to taxi as the airplane wanted to "weathervane" into the wind. In that situation the only option was to shut down and get towed to parking.

So it's hard to completely answer your question because, basically, every day is a new day, and sometimes we feel up to it and sometimes we don't. But with experience comes judgment (usually!) and we learn to evaluate the "character" of the wind, the significance of day or night, good visibility or poor, good braking action or poor, as well as the condition of our airplane (Are there any deferred maintenance items that may affect our performance on the runway?).

I hope that answers your question (somewhat).

[TotalBeginner]

Excellent post zerozero!

[Fatter Bastard]

I had a wind issue in a heavy jet last week. My esteemed colleague next to me was having a slight issue with gas expansion and the resulting eruption, which can best be described as smelling like a skunk that crawled out the ass of another skunk, nearly resulted in me actioning the smoke/fumes removal checklist.

[zerozero]

Total Beginner--Thank you for saying so, I'm glad you liked my post.:)

Fat Bastard--You're unhappy because you eat and you eat because you're unhappy. Typical frickin' airline pilot. When are you guys ever gonna learn?:}