Whats The Strongest Winds Youve Flown In
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Blade sailing
Colonel Mustard says: 'I remember landing at leeds in a B206, in order to refuel, R/R not allowed but the wind was that bad that it took 15 mins to stop the blades turning with the Rotor brake, credit to the pilot who had to time it on each rotation to apply the brake at the perfect moment to prevent "blade sail".'
I don't understand this, could you explain?
I would have thought that the rotor brake would have set on fire well before fifteen minutes application with the rotors turning. And why would you 'time' the application to avoid blade sailing; I'd have thought that you would just want to stop the rotors ASAP.
This isn't meant to be a critical comment, it's just that having just come off duty, I may be missing something due to tiredness.
I don't understand this, could you explain?
I would have thought that the rotor brake would have set on fire well before fifteen minutes application with the rotors turning. And why would you 'time' the application to avoid blade sailing; I'd have thought that you would just want to stop the rotors ASAP.
This isn't meant to be a critical comment, it's just that having just come off duty, I may be missing something due to tiredness.
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Strong wind while flying?
In or Out of the cockpit!?
While flying the North Sea, with certain colleagues, I sometimes found the winds inside the cockpit more of a hazard.
Not so bad in the winter, with an airtight immersion suit to keep the fragrance secure until in the locker room....but in the summer in a cotton suit - Not good!
While flying the North Sea, with certain colleagues, I sometimes found the winds inside the cockpit more of a hazard.
Not so bad in the winter, with an airtight immersion suit to keep the fragrance secure until in the locker room....but in the summer in a cotton suit - Not good!
Last edited by Rosh; 3rd Dec 2007 at 09:24.
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Night SAR callout from RAF Lossiemouth to the NW of Scotland many, many years ago in a Sea King. Took off with winds gusting 50-55Kts. Went around the top as weather totally unsuitable for a transit across land. Turned the corner at Wick and routing along the north coast. As we got to abeam Thurso ran smack bang in to a "hurricane" (as described by the BBC next morning). Groundspeed wasn't brilliant as we had been doing about 40-45Kts, but suddently we were down to 5 Kts! (IAS was 100-105 if I remember correctly). Not long afterwards got a call from the radop that the groundspeed was now MINUS 5Kts!!!
Decided to give up at that point and RTB. Turning downwind was, to say the least, interesting, with the groundspeed going from not a lot to 200Kts. Wind dropped off again as we turned the corner at Wick.
Got back to Lossie OK, and had an "interview" with the Squadron Boss over the phone a few days later for launching in such weather. Funny old thing, but about a month later he was out on an oil rig in winds of 80-90Kts!
Aah, the good old days!
Decided to give up at that point and RTB. Turning downwind was, to say the least, interesting, with the groundspeed going from not a lot to 200Kts. Wind dropped off again as we turned the corner at Wick.
Got back to Lossie OK, and had an "interview" with the Squadron Boss over the phone a few days later for launching in such weather. Funny old thing, but about a month later he was out on an oil rig in winds of 80-90Kts!
Aah, the good old days!
My record was 142kts on the GPS in a schweizer 300 (I obviously Vne'd it downwind to get the photo). Unfortunately to make it official you also have to do it in the opposite direction....
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Well to copy Limpopo, night SAR callout on New year's Eve from RAF Lossiemouth to Ben Nevis many, many years ago in a Sea King. Going down the Great Glen with 100kts IAS the groundspeed dropped to zero at one point. Fortunately I was only an enthusiastic junior co-pilot at the time so had no concept of my own mortality. Not sure what the rest of the more experienced crew thought.
As I sit in my comfy chair watching Coronation Street with a beer in my hand, I actually don't really miss that sort of trip.
Must have been something about Lossie in the 80's.
As I sit in my comfy chair watching Coronation Street with a beer in my hand, I actually don't really miss that sort of trip.
Must have been something about Lossie in the 80's.
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G 75 kts on a A320...up the rwy....frig all else where to go. Biggest prob on the rwy vacacating as it wished to wished to weather cock into wind. opening doors etc another issue....
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Saw 100 kts on the ASI while sat rotors running on the Ninian North platform New Years morning 2002.
We were on a SAR call out in the Sumburgh S-61 to a rig safety boat which had taken a wave through the bridge & lost all power.
The worst bit was engaging rotors while tucked in the lee of the Sumburgh hangar. Wind at sumburgh about 60 kts at the time. The Dunlin was reporting 106 gusting 126 offshore.
Departed Sumburgh with the intention of giving it our best shot then continuing to Norway but by the time we got there the wind was down to 80-100 kts & the boat had regained partial power so we sat on the Ninian Central until an evacuation would definately not be necessary.
By sunrise the wind dropped sufficiently for us to return to Sumburgh which was about 100 nm away. It took us almost 3 hours!
We were on a SAR call out in the Sumburgh S-61 to a rig safety boat which had taken a wave through the bridge & lost all power.
The worst bit was engaging rotors while tucked in the lee of the Sumburgh hangar. Wind at sumburgh about 60 kts at the time. The Dunlin was reporting 106 gusting 126 offshore.
Departed Sumburgh with the intention of giving it our best shot then continuing to Norway but by the time we got there the wind was down to 80-100 kts & the boat had regained partial power so we sat on the Ninian Central until an evacuation would definately not be necessary.
By sunrise the wind dropped sufficiently for us to return to Sumburgh which was about 100 nm away. It took us almost 3 hours!
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I find 35-45kts in my R44 quite controllable but pretty unpleasant especially if the wind is on the beam. Not good for nervous pax either. Strong gusty winds at night with no visible horizon can also be far more disorientating than in a fixed wing aircraft.
Excess of 45 kts is wind I'd rather drive through in my car than fly through in a 44.
I am amazed by what the larger helicopters (and their crews) can cope with though,
rather you than me.
SB
Excess of 45 kts is wind I'd rather drive through in my car than fly through in a 44.
I am amazed by what the larger helicopters (and their crews) can cope with though,
rather you than me.SB
65kts headwind at 6500agl in B-206L when clearing over dust storm, thank for god gps couse it was the only thing that told me I was still going foreward due to limited visibility below.
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GOM in Sept 1981... Hurricane evac during Allen?. Customer naturally waited until the last minute to evac a production platform. Flying a AS350D. Landing on the platform was a handful, almost too much wind to get door open - my hands were full, rig hands took some time getting in. LORAN showed a GS of over 200 kts with an IAS of about 110. The only turbulence was near the rigs - surprisingly calm over the open gulf. Promised never to repeat that one...
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October 1987 (Michael Fish's hurricane)
6 months into being a Bond co-pilot on the 365N - flew out to evacuate Dutch semi-sub Smit Semi 1 that had been blown onto sandbanks and had lost 3 out of 4 motors. 240kts outbound - 35kts inbound to North Denes. RAF SAR unit at Coltishall (those were the days) unable to launch until later, Bristow unable to get to aircraft in hangar even. Wind was lifting roof panels and the bolts were snapping and firing like bullets into the hangar. If memory serves they lost two windscreens and lots of other damage to blades and radar noses etc. A/C was very new G-BLUN.
6 months into being a Bond co-pilot on the 365N - flew out to evacuate Dutch semi-sub Smit Semi 1 that had been blown onto sandbanks and had lost 3 out of 4 motors. 240kts outbound - 35kts inbound to North Denes. RAF SAR unit at Coltishall (those were the days) unable to launch until later, Bristow unable to get to aircraft in hangar even. Wind was lifting roof panels and the bolts were snapping and firing like bullets into the hangar. If memory serves they lost two windscreens and lots of other damage to blades and radar noses etc. A/C was very new G-BLUN.
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Reminds me of the time in Sumburgh when, following horrendous winds overnight, someone phoned the tower to ask what the maximum recorded speed had been? The tower replied, 104 knots. The chap said he was surprised that it hadn't been even higher than that. The tower replied that it might well have been but that was the speed at which the anemometer was torn from the tower and recordings ceased!
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Towards the end of my training, my Lady instructor started to test me out in more than standard day type winds( normal to average was 18 to 25knts) according to my comments in my Log book we went out with the Wind 20/25 gusting to 35Knts, concentration wasn't a problem that day found my self with her sitting alongside me, take off happened at just over 12" on the MP and full blown flight at about 14", I have never left the ground so fast in my life, I felt like the Lone Ranger riding Arkle(not Silver) fantastic until return to field then I could have walked it quicker, That days flight taught me my most valuable lesson, and that is still to this day simply R22 =25knts max take off wind, any more and I wont take the R22!
Peter R-B
Vfrpilotpb
Peter R-B
Vfrpilotpb
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Certain poster on pprune here taught me in the AS350.
On approach to a running landing on my first "hyd" failure, he asked "how is it going?" "not too bad" I replied.....his response was " does this help?" making scooping motions with his hand....could have cut that "wind" with a knife!
Managed to get it on the ground....just
On approach to a running landing on my first "hyd" failure, he asked "how is it going?" "not too bad" I replied.....his response was " does this help?" making scooping motions with his hand....could have cut that "wind" with a knife!
Managed to get it on the ground....just
