Would you fly in this weather?

[Gulfstream757]

I'm going on my first flight tomorrow and the weather looks like this-wind 225@14 gusting to 19.(runway heading 180)vis10km cloud cover 43% cloud base 3000.There are light rain showers nearby expected 0.3mm to fall.Do you think my flight will be cancelled?Aircraft is a cessna 172N

[RTN11]

Sounds like a good day, you should be fine.

[mad_jock]

:D your going to have to get used to that in ireland.

Enjoy your flight!!

[BackPacker]

The only real issue would be the wind. On the Northern hemisphere in a gust the wind veers about 20-30 degrees. So your mean wind (225@14) might become something like 250@19 in a gust. If runway 18 is in use you now have a crosswind component of a tad under 19 knots.

I'm not familiar with the 172N in particular, but the demonstrated x-wind for most of the aircraft in this class is 17 knots. Most aircraft can handle much higher x-winds than that, but require up-to-date flying skills to do so.

If this is your first flight, don't expect that the instructor will let you do the take-off or landing. And depending on the terrain the flight might be very bumpy, especially since the cloud base will force you to remain below 3000 feet.

Best way to prevent airsickness is to refrain from consuming alcohol in the 24 hours leading up to the flight, making sure you've slept well, and make sure you've eaten normally. Don't fly on an empty stomach, but don't overeat either. And if you do start to feel unwell, tell the instructor straight away.

But the clouds, visibility and the light rain will not be a problem at all. If the forecast holds, that is.

[Gulfstream757]

Thanks for the great advice!I'm 14 so although a lot of my friends drink I don't,I don't want to end up getting drunk doing something stupid,getting hurt or anything like that also I play a lot of sports so I want to keep healthy.Yeah the wind was my main concern but I was told I won't do the takeoff or landing anyway.I 've been in a 172 before and it was pretty bumpy I wasn't flying but I was fine.I really appreciate your help may I ask you another few questions?

[Unusual Attitude]

I've about 250hrs on a C172N and 14G19 should be a doddle for anyone comfortable on type and I'd personally have no concerns flying in the weather above.

Departure and approach might be a bit bumpy but perfectly within the aircrafts capabilities assuming the FI is happy with it. Given the cloud cover is expected SCT 3000 your FI can always climb above it if its too bumpy below...

[bluecode]

I have flown in those conditions regularly. They're no problem for a current and experienced pilot which I assume you'll be flying with. An Instructor?

But conditions could be great deal worse than that. I think those winds might be a little optimistic. There are some strong winds forecast for tomorrow. I'm guessing it's Newcastle airfield which is on the coast. Wind can be very strong there. I wonder if it's even usable? Most of the grass strips in this country effectively unusable with all this rain.

Your pilot will no doubt make the right decision tomorrow.

[Lightning Mate]

I'm going on my first flight tomorrow...



I've been in a 172 before and...


Troll warning red......

[Gulfstream757]

As far as I know it is still usable even with this rain.Its not newcastle though

[dublinpilot]

Its not newcastle though

There is another field in Ireland with training taking place with a 18/36 runway?

If you are just trying to throw people off your location then it's pretty pointless because local terrain has significant effects.

The forecast you are looking at isn't an aviation one either so is being done with a different understanding in mind.

Anway...this time I year I put no faith in forecasts for flying other than ones on the day. Even those I have a health suspission about ;)

[Gulfstream757]

Who said anything about it being in Ireland?Could you recommend any web sites that give aviation forecasts?

[BackPacker]

Who said anything about it being in Ireland?

It's in your profile.

Could you recommend any web sites that give aviation forecasts?

Sure. There's plenty of them. Here's an example.

ADDS - METARs (http://aviationweather.gov/adds/metars/)

But you have to be able to read TAFs and METARs, which are the aviation weather forecasts for a specific airfield, and actuals for an airfield. However, if you select "translated" it tries to convert the codes to plain English.

[Gulfstream757]

Thanks alot for the site.I'm not in Ireland at the moment though:)

[dublinpilot]

GS,

The point I was trying to make is that a forecast is for a specific place. General forecasts can give a reasonable indication of the enroute weather but the immediate terrain surrounding an airport can make a huge difference for the local airport.

For example, if you were flying from Newcastle, the weather is likely to be quite different from a general forecast because of the high terrain around it and the sea, and you'd need to give some consideration to the wind direction and the effects on the local terrain.

If you use an aviation forecast it will take this into account, but only for the airport that it's reporting for. Another airport 10 miles away could have very different terrain around it. Eg. Using a forecast for Dublin airport wouldn't be directly relevant to ground conditions at Newcastle unless you give consideration to the terrain of both airports.

Unless you want to be a little more specific about where you are flying from, there isn't a lot of value on people giving their opinions on a general area weather forecast.

If you don't want to be more specific about your location, then best ask the pilot/school that you'll be flying with for their opinion.

dp

[thing]

This site will decode your TAFs and METARS Aviation Weather for Pilots : CheckWX.com (http://www.checkwx.com/wxmain)

Only works for larger airports mind.

[AndoniP]

lightning mate

he may have been in a 172 before but maybe as a passenger, and this could be his first training flight.

don't be so quick to accuse people of trolling.

[Cessna 172S Skyhawk]

As stated above you are not using aviation weather, but based on what you have in your forecast, if you were flying in Ireland and the cloud base was 3000, you'd be well able to fly as most of your flying especially if under an hour flight total, would be flying at 2,000' - 2,500' (what type of cloud, FEW,SCT,BKN?)I was of the impression that gust were only indicated if they were in excess of 10knts not 5? I may be wrong. In any case, the weather around Ireland at most airports today at ground level is between 240° - 280°at between 6 knts and 23 knts (if you were flying from Dublin).You should tell us a bit more about where the flight is, out of what aerodrome, and then people could give you more information. If you have a smart phone, there are dozens of apps that you could download, just type METAR or TAF in and you should get a load of free ones. I would suggest Aeroweather, Its updated every 30 mins.Hope some of the above helps.Cessna Student Pilot (flying out of Weston)

[riverrock83]

I prefer Weather town : United Kingdom - Ireland (http://en.allmetsat.com/metar-taf/united-kingdom-ireland.php?) as its a bit more "no nonsense" and highlights when the report was made,
but for ground winds, http://www.windfinder.com/forecasts/wind_british_isles_akt.htm (http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/prestwick) works well, as it includes non-aviation forecasts as well, which helps to fill in some of the gaps.
However - this is a bit off topic?
Once thing G757 is that you need to learn to trust your instructor. If they say its fine - then it is.

[dublinpilot]

Cessna 172S Skyhawk

Gulf said a few posts up that he wasn't flying in Ireland. ;)

[Gulfstream757]

Thank you all so much for your contribution unfortunately the flight was cancelled due to wind,but it will go ahead tomorrow as originally planned the weather looks a lot better clear skies at about 13 knots gusting to 16.

[dont overfil]

Best of luck for tomorrow.

Just one point which nobody has brought up. These conditions are no problem for the instructor or the aircraft. Part of the instructors job is to decide if the conditions are suitable for YOU.

He does not want to put you off flying by taking you up on a rough day or one with poor visibility with no horizon so you have no reference to level flight. Furthermore he does not want you boaking in the aircraft!

D.O.

[Pace]

Its strange how when pilots report turbulence one will describe light as moderate while another will describe moderate as light.
One way of curing a pilot of being uncomfortable with turbulence is to take him up on a really bad day and let him experience all that can be thrown at him.
All of a sudden what he considered challenging before no longer has quite the sting it had before.
Just a thought! Scottish students will normally fly in much stronger wind conditions than their southern brothers. Which turns out a better pilot the cotton wool variety or the hard taught variety?

Pace

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Which turns out a better pilot
Better at what? Mountain weather or negotiating complex and cramped and crowded airspace?

[Pace]

The more of a fair weather pilot you are the less experience you have of weather flying and hence the less able you are at handling such weather if you get into it in the future.
So the more exposure you get the better you get.
Nothing to do with navigation skills which with modern GPS and fancy displays is a doddle anyway.

Pace

[Crash one]

Quote:
Which turns out a better pilot
Better at what? Mountain weather or negotiating complex and cramped and crowded airspace?


Personally I'd ****e myself south of Cambridge.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Personally I'd ****e myself south of Cambridge.
:)
As Pace says the navigation isn't actually a problem with a G1000 or whatever, but you've still got to work out who best to talk to and keep looking out the window!

[AdamFrisch]

Agree with Pace.

Here in California where we're blessed with blue skies almost daily throughout the year, the anxiety and threshold for bad weather is very low. Whenever I go up in less than stellar weather it's almost void of VFR traffic even in such busy airspace as the LA basin. I think in this regard UK pilots are much better equipped - if you can't cope with a little bad weather in the UK, you won't be doing much flying!;):}

I'm grateful for the bad weather I had to endure in Sweden and the UK when I trained there. Essential skills.

[AdamFrisch]

You're right Silvaire - the great skill the LA basin teaches you is coping with heavy ATC/traffic and a complex airspace with tight tolerances and a varied topography. Good skills to have. I know many pilots are afraid of talking on the radio in heavy traffic areas. I don't blame them, but once you've done it a bit there's actually not much to it. I'm constantly amazed at how little I actually have to gab on the radio to fly here.

[Pace]

Infact in busy airspace the less Talking you do the better.
I flew into Amsterdam last week a very busy bit of airspace. Instructions are on first contact callsign ONLY!

Part of the skills of RT is saying as little as possible as quick as possible and that becomes more important the busier the airspace.

Pace

[Steve6443]

Infact in busy airspace the less Talking you do the better.
I flew into Amsterdam last week a very busy bit of airspace. Instructions are on first contact callsign ONLY!


Just imagining weekend warriors trundling around Amsterdam with their "ummms" and "ahhhs", it's not too bad if you're speaking in your mother tongue but have mercy on the germans who then have to speak english...

Perhaps we should open a Thread about the best howlers heard on the radio....

The other week I heard:

D-Exxx ...... C152, VFR, Altitude 2000 feet. Student pilot on navigation cross country exercise from Mainz to Speyer, position 5NM west of Speyer, request Traffic Information....

FIS: D-Exxx please confirm location

D-Exxx ..... Ahhhhh 5NM east.... ahh.... no, 5NM south east of Speyer.

FIS: D-Exxx please confirm, you are flying from Mainz to Speyer, are 5NM south east of Speyer and request traffic information?

D-Exxx: Confirmed.

FIS: D-Exxx, if you are 5NM from Speyer, shouldn't you be talking to Speyer Info?

D-Exxx: Roger that, however I've only just taken off from Mainz..... will I be able to hear Speyer Info from here?

FIS: D-Exxx please confirm your location.

D-Exxx: 7NM South east of Speyer.....

FIS: D-Exxx You were 5NM from Speyer a minute ago, you're now 7NM from Speyer. Could you confirm your heading?

D-Exxx: wait please....

At this point, the student must have realised what was wrong, and corrected themselves, to much giggling in my plane.

With areas of high radio chatter, you'd miss gems like this.....

[thing]

I heard a beaut on Luton Radar coming back from White Waltham on Saturday.

'Luton Radar, G-**** I can see three Yak 52s flying very close together, are they supposed to be that close?'

The mind boggles.

[RTN11]

Spanish pilots seem to report smoke a lot, I believe it's policy over in their country due to bush fires, but over here the ATC just don't know what to do with this information :confused:

Best I ever heard was a typical once a month flyer, generally quite poor radio chat, long winded calls

ATC: G-XX what service do you require?

G-XX: Umm, I'll just have whatever everyone else is having.

[dublinpilot]

G-XX: Umm, I'll just have whatever everyone else is having.

:D
That one actually made me laught out loud!

[AdamFrisch]

G-XX: Umm, I'll just have whatever everyone else is having.

Makes sense to me!:ok:

[Pace]

Think everyone else was having a pint of the best brew :E

Pace

[RTN11]

So did you ever get to fly?