Windy Conditions and the new Pilot

[lwalling]

Allright, I admit it...I'm only a little bit jealous right now !

I think every pilot wishes he had a place where he could fly home and set it down on the yard...just keep giving free rides to all the neighbors !

 

Goldy

 

It's sweet! But don't be jealous, the pad/grading/etc was not that expensive at all.

 

Only negative was the number of trees that had to come down to build what I thought was reasonably safe, my inner "tree hugger" side was not excited about that part. The rest is great, and now that it's all done I am actually happy with the way it looks even -- it's cool cut back in the woods like it is. The best part: My Wife didn't kill me (or divorce me) over adding more concrete to our property.

 

Here's some images for you-

[ADRidge]

Man I came in late on this one. The best way to get past your fear of gusty/windy conditions is to just do it within the limits of the aircraft. It sounds reckless, but I'm not saying to go take your robbie out in 30kt winds solo just because your AC 'can' do it.

 

I was flying with a very high-time family friend who has a couple of robbies out in West Texas. Until then, I'd been very sheltered and never flown in anything past Gusting 24. When we picked up it was 18g29 and stayed within that realm all flight. Clearing turns sucked (LTE situation) and the hover taxi was exciting, but I knew I had an instructor next to me who had faced combat, jungle flight, NOE flight, you name it.

 

If you're going to push your limits do it with an instructor you have absolute faith in, that extra confidence will generally give you abilities you didn't think you had yet.

 

That being said, with 200 extra pounds in the AC it's quite a bit easier to fly windy. I got caught solo in 14g22 as I was setting down (the wind picked up during the last 3-4 patterns) and I was a bit uncomfortable. Definitely eager to get to the ground.

[Goldy]

Here's some images for you-

 

3 comments for ya.

 

1. clean your windshield before taking pictures.

2. Watch the wires

3. I'm more jealous now than I was before....beautiful country.

[Chopperjess]

2. Watch the wires

[Kelly N.]

Yes, definitely get used to it - or you won't be flying much at all. Plus, your DPE will really pound on you, on real world helicopter operations not "airplane stuff" you might be practicing.

 

Don't worry if you have a "crappy performance" during training. Realize your faults in flight, and learn to overcome them with the help of your instructors and this message board. If you can't figure something out throw up a post! . I learn best by seeing and then doing - myself.

 

I keep my 44 at SVH or on the pad at my house about 7nm to the SW but fly it all over the place. It's a blast.

 

I worked with the NCRW guys out of Salisbury for my training (RUQ) but have been out to your neck of the woods plenty of times.

 

If you're ever out this way let me know I'll take you for a ride in my 44.

 

 

Yeah, I shrugged it off an hour or so after the lesson and started getting myself ready for the next time. My past two lessons have been pretty solid and I'm probably going to do my stage check for solo next week if things go well.

 

This board and the advice/input available through pretty much everyone who takes the time to post here is a big help. I had heard "training plateau" enough in the threads on VR that it was easy to refocus after I shook off the initial "crap, that sucked" reaction.

 

I'll definitely PM you ahead of time if I'm every heading out Salisbury way. Even without the potential ride, I'll look forward to meeting you and putting a face to the name. Thanks again for the advice (everyone).

 

Kelly

[Kelly N.]

Flight training hasn't changed much in the past 50 years. People start off knowing little or nothing, and without the necessary skills to fly or hover. That's why the training is necessary. Everybody is tense, everybody has bad days, and everybody feels overwhelmed. Some people learn more quickly than others, and some should never start in the first place. The military has tried to prevent starting these out by using aptitude tests, with mixed results at best. Pretty much anybody can learn to fly, but some will spend more time and money than others. You can get used to almost anything, with enough exposure and experience. Just keep at it, and you'll learn to deal with the wind, it's just another part of flying. "It's an ill wind that blows no good".

 

 

Heh, good advice. It was an opportunity for me to reflect that it all counts as learning (sometimes about the aircraft and flying and sometimes about the pilot).

 

I'm o.k. with it taking me a bit more time to feel comfortable if it means that, in the end, I'm a safer, more confident pilot. The information those on this board have provided through experiences and advice is a big help.

 

Thanks again,

Kelly

[lwalling]

3 comments for ya.

 

1. clean your windshield before taking pictures.

2. Watch the wires

3. I'm more jealous now than I was before....beautiful country.

 

Yeah, sorry about that. That was coming back from a 280nm trip!

http://navmonster.com/map/M88-KSVH-10

 

Don't be jealous For what you're paying for a house or rent in LA you could buy a mansion here rofl.

 

Wires... Everywhere around here (about 10nm away from a power-plant), as you can see on the left side of the aerial pad photo. Have to be cautious, especially at night.

[lwalling]

Yeah, I shrugged it off an hour or so after the lesson and started getting myself ready for the next time. My past two lessons have been pretty solid and I'm probably going to do my stage check for solo next week if things go well.

 

This board and the advice/input available through pretty much everyone who takes the time to post here is a big help. I had heard "training plateau" enough in the threads on VR that it was easy to refocus after I shook off the initial "crap, that sucked" reaction.

 

I'll definitely PM you ahead of time if I'm every heading out Salisbury way. Even without the potential ride, I'll look forward to meeting you and putting a face to the name. Thanks again for the advice (everyone).

 

Kelly

 

Cool! Make sure to get out in the wind more often. If you can talk him into it, get James Wiltz to fly with you in wind when he's out there, he can walk you through the paces very well. I enjoyed training with him.

 

Thanks.

[helikriewall]

I just passed my private check ride ten days ago, but prior to that all my training was in wind conditions no more than 15 knots. The day after my check ride the winds were all over the place, if I remember correctly it was 28G32K. Flying in those conditions for the first time was definitely making me nervous, but all the safety material is right the 22 can handle a lot of wind and lot of turbulence quit well, just got to make sure not to over correct.

 

For lwalling, nice pictures. I'm jealous as well... it looks very beautiful out there.

[Darkhorse]

Last year during the Malibu fires, I watched many larger ships in 50 gusting to 70 knot winds. Mostly blackhawks (firehawks), our H3 and the Skycranes. They all made it look easy, I was on the ground looking up....and glad to be on the ground!

 

I know its not totally relative to the thread but you saying that reminds me of one of my greatest moments of joy. When I was in Huey's we used to get alot of flack from the blackhawk guys about how they handled winds. Once I transitioned to CH-47's there was a day when the controller called us and asked if we could pick up the last 2 blackhawk sling loads (at the same time) and deliver them because the winds were to high for the hawks and they were leaving....pure satisfaction.

[Kelly N.]

I flew this a.m. and the conditions winds were from 240* 9G17. That's pretty much right down the runway.

 

I felt fine and only had a few times were I got blown around a bit in a couple of clearing turns. Other than that, it wasn't an issue and I felt much more comfortable and in control of the aircraft.

 

It wasn't the variable direction from last week, but it was definitely a HUGE improvement and I think that's due in part to my feeling more comfortable with the conditions based on the posts in this thread.

 

Thanks to all.

 

Kelly