Whats The Strongest Winds Youve Flown In
 

I've just landed having flown the Rally GB in Wales where the weather has been absolutely terrible this weekend, and I just wondered what is the strongest winds you guy's have flown in and in what machines.

The Rally pilots this weeked have had to put up with 45/50 knot winds and terrible visability in the South Wales mountains and Valleys which has made flying very entertaining !!!!

I came back from Swansea this afternoon with a 60 Knot tail wind in a Squirell which was quite smooth at 4000 feet until I started my descent into a private site, it then got interesting.

Last year a few of us flew on the last day in the mountains of Brecfa and Trawescoed in 60 knt winds, there was an R44 with us most of the day and even though it was bumpy it was quite uneventfull.

My Instructor has always told me that "wind is only for people on the ground" what is your opinions on this and what advice is on offer for high wind flying

"Strong" wind is a relative term, for a helo with 17 knot crosswind capability and 80 knot Vne, a 25 knot wind is a force to be reckoned with. For a helo with 35 knot crosswind, and Vne of 160 knots, the story is different.

I have flown in 60 knots wind with gusts to 80 in the Black Hawk and S76, and never felt that the control was in any doubt. Such flights in a Robbie would be foolish.

Was in a 332 once with an S61 ahead by a few miles who expressed concern on the radio that his groundspeed had dropped to zero. Normal cruise for the S61 was 110kt...:uhoh:

I had an 80 kt headwind during an NDB/ARA approach to a rig near Sable Island one time. Needless to say, after discussing it with the rig we decided to miss and head back to Halifax. The pax would have had to crawl across the deck with winds like that.

I have also had a 100+ knot tail wind at cruise altitude in the same area and near Trelew, Argentina.

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":ok:

R/R would have been safer IMHO but Regs are Regs

During a last light casevac in Hong Kong (as a typhoon approached) we had 75 kts IAS in the hover just over the lights surrounding a basketball court.

We had only about 15 kts IAS on the ground - the wind shear was something to behold and it wasn't much fun landing (no winch, we had to land inside).

I also saw 223 kts groundspeed in a S76-A++, coming in from an offshore rescue, again ahead (but only just) of a typhoon. IAS was about 145 kts...

I was climbing in corrie an lochain a few years ago and watched an RAF sea king let down onto the cairngorm plateau for a rescue. On getting back we checked the weather station on cairngorm; 55 kts gusting 70.
Even walking was difficult; makes you appreciate the job they do

Wind.....we ain't afraid of no stinking wind! (uttered in complete foolishness to two non-American pilots in Iran...)

We then took off into 45-60 knot winds and bumped our way over the Zagros Mountains for what seemed like a lifetime....having intermittent bouts of hydraulic failure as all the fluid smacked into the top of the resevoir and cavitated the hydraulic pump.

75 knots on the clock whille setting on a deck in the North Sea prior to liftoff for the Shetlands. I could have walked the distance quicker than we flew it!

strong winds
 

Flying in strong winds is no real issue (within limitations of type)
starting and stopping the rotors in strong / gusty conditions on the other hand Can be Very Interesting!! I know when its blowing 50kts or more ..cause I can't stand up ..haha
;)

Up & Away
 

Quite right G i flu yesterday and it makes it more fun :eek:

Did you ask Andrew.

Levo.

After sliding backwards across the helideck on hands and knees following the fuel check, (friendly bear grabbed me by scruff of neck and returned me to the net!) got airborne to find ground speed of 35kts for the first part of the trip back to ABZ. BCAL S61 - Piper or Claymore I suspect, passengers and Captain both looked rather green!

TeeS

Once flew for a Government Agency where we had a SOP that you could not operate with a gust spread of 100%. I recieved a call one day from my boss;

boss "how come you are not out flying?"
me "wind limits, can not go"
boss "is it blowing hard'
me "last I checked 2kts gusting to 4kts..too much spread" well, it was friday..!:}:8

Honestly...scared yes, Grand Banks, called for weather 5 minutes final to rig...wind 80kts gusting 94kts vis 1/2 in fog. (wx man still says theoretically impossbile) I say NOT!

:ugh:

70kt ias while moving backwards into five finger gully on the Ben, winchman out on the wire.

i had the interesting experience of being out in the bush for the day, and at the spot where i landed the winds were 10-15 kts, no big deal. after i took off and exited what i can only assume was the only calm spot in 100 miles the winds were about 60+ kts...in the mountains in a 206 i can tell you it was not a lot of fun. i couldn't get the blades stopped at the other end either...:ugh:

Was working a 205 in Nunuvik canada slinging gear...(only did one load) it was 50 gusting 65 knots refused to shut down for fuel at the Salluit Airport. ASI was showing 50-55 knots on the ground...took a life time and 3 guys to get the blades to stop when i did.

MG.

One night flight in a 76A to pick up a medivac with a ruptured ulcer had 90 knots, fun when you are single pilot with a cross deck landing! 75 kts on the Northern North Sea, however, wasn't uncommon during winter.

Quite a few low level jets pass through the Sable Island/Halifax area. The worst I've seen was a 100 kt quartering headwind on the ILS (to mins!) inside the FAF ....or so the GPS claimed. It was definitely a steady 80 knots, which I seem to run into at least twice a year on approach. It was actually pegging 60 knots on an offshore deck early this morning!

On that 100 knot approach, we had told tower our groundspeed on the approach was going to be near 30 knots, they replied not to worry as no-one was flyig within 200 miles of Halifax!

These are either in a Super Puma or S61, wouldn't go near anything close in a Robbie!

The biggest advantage of the Puma in 75+ knots on a helideck was the external flotation gear, it gave you something to hang on to as you went round it. Passengers would be exchanged individually so that their weight would keep the aircraft on the deck. Refuelling was done with them inside.
A good tip was to land the aircraft about 10 or 15 degrees out of wind. This ensured that the wind was leaning on one side of the tail rotor instead of banging it one way and the other.

High Winds
 

I think the best plan in high winds is to get up as high as possible over the mountains, its just that you have a battle with your mind which tells you to keep as low as possible.

I've been in a R22 with 40+ knots it did it but very uncomftable on the other hand the R44 was not bad under the same conditions, ive also found that a Hughes 500 doesnt half bounce about in turbelance, I some times prefer to be in a 44 !!!!!!

If you have to scud run home through mountains or valleys then keep well tucked into the windward side of the hill valley so that you are experiencing updrafts instead of downdrafts seems to work for me anyway :ok:

Have flown a helicopter not seldom with gusts of 60kt and terrible turbulence- no fun really, but the most impressive situation in my (wind)career was as i cutted the right fin of a BK 117 with only 25kt cross but very turbulent wind vector on a direction fixed trolley during shut down. Smash...

Since that i believe flying isn't so dangerous but landing makes me nervous.