Amazing Wind Shear Today

[Jay Honeck]

We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the site
of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.

Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong, but
right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the cool
temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with 84
gallons and four aboard.

As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate turbulence,
followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled feeling,
where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right direction as
you climb through it.

Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been an
anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!

Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off flight
producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at 5500
feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that we
had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine, the
smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet at
5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.

On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind (it
was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably less. We
still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot headwind.
The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we instantly
lost 25 knots in ground speed!

Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an air
flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause moderate to
severe turbulence.

Never seen anything quite like it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Peter Gottlieb]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
site
> of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
> sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
> Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
>


I was raking leaves today and heard a plane overhead. It looked like it had
a 45 degree crab!

[BTIZ]

the wind had gone "laminar" and you live in the flat lands..

we had light and variable all day on the ground.. winds at 6000ft (first
altitude forecast) was 200/6 at 9000 they were 250/25 and stayed that way
all the way to FL300, there were wonder "stacked lennies" on local Mt
Charleston all day long.. (Mt Charleston tops out above 10K

not much lift in the local area.. some very weak thermals down low.. not
really workable.. the lennies were to far away to be towed to.. and the
local 8000ft ridge was not producing ridge lift..

BT

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
site
> of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
> sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
> Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
>
> Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong, but
> right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the
cool
> temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with 84
> gallons and four aboard.
>
> As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate
turbulence,
> followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
> one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled feeling,
> where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right direction
as
> you climb through it.
>
> Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been
an
> anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
> accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
> the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
>
> Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off
flight
> producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at 5500
> feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that we
> had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine, the
> smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet at
> 5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.
>
> On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind (it
> was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably less.
We
> still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot
headwind.
> The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we
instantly
> lost 25 knots in ground speed!
>
> Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an air
> flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause moderate
to
> severe turbulence.
>
> Never seen anything quite like it.
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[Ken Reed]

> The wind was predicted to be howling -- winds
> aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet!

One week ago today, returning from El Paso to Tucson at 12,000 feet I
had at times a greater than 100 kt headwind. I saw a low of a 27 kt
ground speed in my Mooney ! That leg of the flight averaged a 65 kt
ground speed (80 kt head wind).

KR

[R. Hubbell]

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:57:49 -0800
"BTIZ" > wrote:

> the wind had gone "laminar" and you live in the flat lands..
>
> we had light and variable all day on the ground.. winds at 6000ft (first
> altitude forecast) was 200/6 at 9000 they were 250/25 and stayed that way
> all the way to FL300, there were wonder "stacked lennies" on local Mt
> Charleston all day long.. (Mt Charleston tops out above 10K
>
> not much lift in the local area.. some very weak thermals down low.. not
> really workable.. the lennies were to far away to be towed to.. and the
> local 8000ft ridge was not producing ridge lift..


Why would you want a tow to where lenticulars clouds have formed? I thought
lenticulars are a sign of laminar flow, not turbulent flow. Or are the
lenticulars just the sign post to tell you that there is lots of wind and
there should be some lift near where there are lenticular clouds?

We get lenticulars here all the time, sometimes they march right out to
the Channel Islands. It's a fabulous sight to see. Although it'll
mean a bumpy ride for sure.


R. Hubbell

>
> BT
>
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> > We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
> site
> > of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> > howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
> > sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
> > Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
> >
> > Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong, but
> > right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the
> cool
> > temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with 84
> > gallons and four aboard.
> >
> > As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate
> turbulence,
> > followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
> > one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled feeling,
> > where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right direction
> as
> > you climb through it.
> >
> > Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been
> an
> > anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
> > accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
> > the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
> >
> > Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off
> flight
> > producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at 5500
> > feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that we
> > had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine, the
> > smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet at
> > 5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.
> >
> > On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind (it
> > was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably less.
> We
> > still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot
> headwind.
> > The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we
> instantly
> > lost 25 knots in ground speed!
> >
> > Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an air
> > flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause moderate
> to
> > severe turbulence.
> >
> > Never seen anything quite like it.
> > --
> > Jay Honeck
> > Iowa City, IA
> > Pathfinder N56993
> > www.AlexisParkInn.com
> > "Your Aviation Destination"
> >
> >
>
>

[mike regish]

Didja consider dropping down some to see if got any better?

mike regish

"Ken Reed" > wrote in message
...
> > The wind was predicted to be howling -- winds
> > aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet!
>
> One week ago today, returning from El Paso to Tucson at 12,000 feet I
> had at times a greater than 100 kt headwind. I saw a low of a 27 kt
> ground speed in my Mooney ! That leg of the flight averaged a 65 kt
> ground speed (80 kt head wind).
>
> KR

[Icebound]

R. Hubbell wrote:

>
>
> Why would you want a tow to where lenticulars clouds have formed? I thought
> lenticulars are a sign of laminar flow, not turbulent flow. Or are the
> lenticulars just the sign post to tell you that there is lots of wind and
> there should be some lift near where there are lenticular clouds?


You are right. Lenticulars indicate absolutely laminar.

But the windflow is often in "waves" with a slight upflow on the upwind
side of a cloud (and downflow on the other).... usually started by some
kind of pimple on the earth's surface. You may be able to run on that
for a while. I don't know if anybody does, cause there may be
wind-shear issues.

There may also be "turbulent" flow in a layer below the laminar flow,
but it would be capped somewhere below the base of the lenticulars.

[Peter Duniho]

"R. Hubbell" > wrote in message
news:Badyb.12188$ZE1.9049@fed1read04...
> Why would you want a tow to where lenticulars clouds have formed?

Two words: mountain wave.

[Icebound]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> ...
>
> Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- ...
>
> As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate turbulence,
> followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
> one wing sharply, then the other? ...snip...
> Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been an
> anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
> accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
> the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
>
> Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off flight
> producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at 5500
> feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that we
> had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. ...snip...

You were just a victim of a rather strong high to the south, and an
extremely deep low in Quebec (968 mb, or so). If the air was as laminar
as some posters suggest, then the effect of ground friction is much
enhanced, and you get that "light southwest" wind at the surface,
backing and strengthening significantly above 3000 feet.

The pressure gradient on the weather charts easily supports the winds
you experienced.

[Greg Burkhart]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an air
> flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause moderate
to
> severe turbulence.
>
> Never seen anything quite like it.

I did a few months ago when I was going to fly for breakfast to a nearby
airport. The wind at ground level was mild (5-10 or so) and I climbed
through some light turbulence to get to 1k agl where it was 'smooth as
glass'. I looked at my airspeed and it was reading normal (~90mph) but I
glanced at my GPS and it's showing 40mph ground speed. After deciding that
my GPS was actually working correctly, I did a 180 and headed back to my
home airport with the GPS reading 140mph ground speed. While in the pattern
for landing, I ran into the light turbulence again. About 20 feet above
touchdown, I hit the windshear! Came down a little bit hard when the
headwind quit...

[Ken Reed]

>> One week ago today, returning from El Paso to Tucson at 12,000 feet I
>> had at times a greater than 100 kt headwind. I saw a low of a 27 kt
>> ground speed in my Mooney ! That leg of the flight averaged a 65 kt
>> ground speed (80 kt head wind).

> Didja consider dropping down some to see if got any better?

You don't fly much in the west, do you <grin> ?

12,000 was the MEA on that route (westbound). I couldn't drop down any
without canceling IFR and going VFR, and I got about 0.5 of actual
during the flight so IFR was realistically required.

KR

[BTIZ]

the wind that produces "lennies" has gone laminar.. it's a smooth flow well
above the ridge tops.. the turbulent air is down low.. normally on the
downwind side.. the rotor.. the "wave" that forms above is smooth.. sine
wave type.. and the upward part of the sine wave is where the lift is.. our
in front of the lennie..

The ones we were watching today were about 25nm away.. normally we can tow
over to the lower part of the Spring Mountain Range, and get into lower
ridge lift and work up into the lenticular flow on the upper peak.... but
the winds that were hitting the upper (northern) end of the ridge did not
come far enough south.

BT

"R. Hubbell" > wrote in message
news:Badyb.12188$ZE1.9049@fed1read04...
> On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:57:49 -0800
> "BTIZ" > wrote:
>
> > the wind had gone "laminar" and you live in the flat lands..
> >
> > we had light and variable all day on the ground.. winds at 6000ft (first
> > altitude forecast) was 200/6 at 9000 they were 250/25 and stayed that
way
> > all the way to FL300, there were wonder "stacked lennies" on local Mt
> > Charleston all day long.. (Mt Charleston tops out above 10K
> >
> > not much lift in the local area.. some very weak thermals down low.. not
> > really workable.. the lennies were to far away to be towed to.. and the
> > local 8000ft ridge was not producing ridge lift..
>
>
> Why would you want a tow to where lenticulars clouds have formed? I
thought
> lenticulars are a sign of laminar flow, not turbulent flow. Or are the
> lenticulars just the sign post to tell you that there is lots of wind and
> there should be some lift near where there are lenticular clouds?
>
> We get lenticulars here all the time, sometimes they march right out to
> the Channel Islands. It's a fabulous sight to see. Although it'll
> mean a bumpy ride for sure.
>
>
> R. Hubbell
>
> >
> > BT
> >
> > "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> > news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> > > We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
> > site
> > > of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> > > howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but
the
> > > sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since
last
> > > Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
> > >
> > > Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong,
but
> > > right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the
> > cool
> > > temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with
84
> > > gallons and four aboard.
> > >
> > > As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate
> > turbulence,
> > > followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts
first
> > > one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled
feeling,
> > > where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right
direction
> > as
> > > you climb through it.
> > >
> > > Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had
been
> > an
> > > anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb",
suddenly
> > > accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing
on
> > > the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
> > >
> > > Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off
> > flight
> > > producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at
5500
> > > feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that
we
> > > had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine,
the
> > > smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet
at
> > > 5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.
> > >
> > > On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind
(it
> > > was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably
less.
> > We
> > > still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot
> > headwind.
> > > The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we
> > instantly
> > > lost 25 knots in ground speed!
> > >
> > > Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an
air
> > > flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause
moderate
> > to
> > > severe turbulence.
> > >
> > > Never seen anything quite like it.
> > > --
> > > Jay Honeck
> > > Iowa City, IA
> > > Pathfinder N56993
> > > www.AlexisParkInn.com
> > > "Your Aviation Destination"
> > >
> > >
> >
> >

[Casey Wilson]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate
turbulence,
> followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
> one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled feeling,
> where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right direction
as
> you climb through it.
>
> Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been
an
> anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
> accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
> the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!

Nearly the same experience a couple years ago. I timed a ground speed
of 155 knots while indicating 85 -- in a Cessna 150. When I called the tower
they reported "winds light and variable" and cleared me straight in from my
position and heading. I hit the turbulence at about 1,400 AGL and SURPRISE!
before I could react, the airplane zoomed back up through the lumpy air. It
took three tries to punch down through the shear. I landed in calm air and
by the the time I had the airplance tied down the surface winds were 30+ and
gusting.

[Bob Fry]

We had something like this back in September in No. California.
Several of us flew from the Sacramento area to Oceano, a little over
200 nm. We had a 25-30kt headwind all the way down...but like Jay,
smooth as glass, even crossing the 1000-2000 foot hills from the
Central Valley to the coast. Very strange; we were all braced for
moderate turbulence over the Coast Range.

Of course, the very next day on the return trip we had *another*
headwind, but a more normal few knots.

[Jim]

Wasn't that fun? I went up last night and did 4 instrument approaches in
the Archer. Outbound for the procedure turn at CWA I slowed up to 90
indicated and the ground speed showed 58. On the turn inbound for the ILS
08 it shot up to 134. We slid down the slope with about a 14 degree wind
correction and a reduced power setting of only 1500 rpms to maintain a 650
ft per minute decent. The further down the slope we got the less the wind
was so we had to keep increasing power, decreasing rate of descent and
taking out the crab. Surface winds were only about 6 knot but winds at 3000
were 240 @ 45. I suprised myself by keeping up with the changing wind and
nailing the approach right down to minimums. Winds aloft for today (Sunday)
are even higher, but surface winds are only about 9 right now.

Jim

[Nathan Young]

Ken Reed > wrote in message >...
> > The wind was predicted to be howling -- winds
> > aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet!
>
> One week ago today, returning from El Paso to Tucson at 12,000 feet I
> had at times a greater than 100 kt headwind. I saw a low of a 27 kt
> ground speed in my Mooney ! That leg of the flight averaged a 65 kt
> ground speed (80 kt head wind).

Ouch! That's brutal! Nothing worse than flying and watching the
semis pass you on the interstate below.

-Nathan

[Jay Honeck]

> Winds aloft for today (Sunday)
> are even higher, but surface winds are only about 9 right now.

Yep -- just got back from Janesville, WI (JVL) a couple of hours ago. We
were doing a solid 95 knots all the way home. (That's a 45 knot headwind!)

Luckily, it was smooth.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[B]

> Ouch! That's brutal! Nothing worse than flying and watching the
> semis pass you on the interstate below.
>
> -Nathan

You should try flying something small in the Northern Territory in Australia
where there are no speed limits on the trucks and road trains away from the
towns and schools!

You can't keep up to them with a tailwind!

Peter

[Gene Seibel]

Same kind of thing in Missouri. Coming into St Louis area last night,
0 tailwind at 3500 and 30 knots at 2000.
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.



> We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the site
> of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
> sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
> Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
>
> Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong, but
> right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the cool
> temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with 84
> gallons and four aboard.
>
> As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate turbulence,
> followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
> one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled feeling,
> where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right direction as
> you climb through it.
>
> Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been an
> anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
> accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
> the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
>
> Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off flight
> producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at 5500
> feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that we
> had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine, the
> smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet at
> 5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.
>
> On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind (it
> was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably less. We
> still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot headwind.
> The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we instantly
> lost 25 knots in ground speed!
>
> Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an air
> flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause moderate to
> severe turbulence.
>
> Never seen anything quite like it.

[Frank]

> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
>> We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
> site
>> of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
>> howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
>> sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
>> Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
>

Saw 58 kts groundspeed going west, 142 east.

--
Frank....H

[R. Hubbell]

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 21:13:15 -0800 "BTIZ" > wrote:

> the wind that produces "lennies" has gone laminar.. it's a smooth flow well
> above the ridge tops.. the turbulent air is down low.. normally on the
> downwind side.. the rotor.. the "wave" that forms above is smooth.. sine
> wave type.. and the upward part of the sine wave is where the lift is.. our
> in front of the lennie..


Ok, well it sure sounds fun. If you had a motorglider you could have played
in them I suppose? A ride in a glider is what got me interested in flying.
Going to have to get my glider rating one of these day.


>
> The ones we were watching today were about 25nm away.. normally we can tow
> over to the lower part of the Spring Mountain Range, and get into lower
> ridge lift and work up into the lenticular flow on the upper peak.... but
> the winds that were hitting the upper (northern) end of the ridge did not
> come far enough south.


Gliding sounds like a whole new interesting set of challenges.


R. Hubbell


>
> BT
>
> "R. Hubbell" > wrote in message
> news:Badyb.12188$ZE1.9049@fed1read04...
> > On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:57:49 -0800
> > "BTIZ" > wrote:
> >
> > > the wind had gone "laminar" and you live in the flat lands..
> > >
> > > we had light and variable all day on the ground.. winds at 6000ft (first
> > > altitude forecast) was 200/6 at 9000 they were 250/25 and stayed that
> way
> > > all the way to FL300, there were wonder "stacked lennies" on local Mt
> > > Charleston all day long.. (Mt Charleston tops out above 10K
> > >
> > > not much lift in the local area.. some very weak thermals down low.. not
> > > really workable.. the lennies were to far away to be towed to.. and the
> > > local 8000ft ridge was not producing ridge lift..
> >
> >
> > Why would you want a tow to where lenticulars clouds have formed? I
> thought
> > lenticulars are a sign of laminar flow, not turbulent flow. Or are the
> > lenticulars just the sign post to tell you that there is lots of wind and
> > there should be some lift near where there are lenticular clouds?
> >
> > We get lenticulars here all the time, sometimes they march right out to
> > the Channel Islands. It's a fabulous sight to see. Although it'll
> > mean a bumpy ride for sure.
> >
> >
> > R. Hubbell
> >
> > >
> > > BT
> > >
> > > "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> > > news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> > > > We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
> > > site
> > > > of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> > > > howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but
> the
> > > > sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since
> last
> > > > Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
> > > >
> > > > Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong,
> but
> > > > right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the
> > > cool
> > > > temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with
> 84
> > > > gallons and four aboard.
> > > >
> > > > As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate
> > > turbulence,
> > > > followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts
> first
> > > > one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled
> feeling,
> > > > where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right
> direction
> > > as
> > > > you climb through it.
> > > >
> > > > Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had
> been
> > > an
> > > > anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb",
> suddenly
> > > > accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing
> on
> > > > the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
> > > >
> > > > Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off
> > > flight
> > > > producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at
> 5500
> > > > feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that
> we
> > > > had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine,
> the
> > > > smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet
> at
> > > > 5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.
> > > >
> > > > On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind
> (it
> > > > was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably
> less.
> > > We
> > > > still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot
> > > headwind.
> > > > The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we
> > > instantly
> > > > lost 25 knots in ground speed!
> > > >
> > > > Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an
> air
> > > > flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause
> moderate
> > > to
> > > > severe turbulence.
> > > >
> > > > Never seen anything quite like it.
> > > > --
> > > > Jay Honeck
> > > > Iowa City, IA
> > > > Pathfinder N56993
> > > > www.AlexisParkInn.com
> > > > "Your Aviation Destination"
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
>
>

[lardsoup]

Did you go in the museum and sit inside the B-52 cockpit? Biggest rudder
pedals and trim wheel I've ever seen.

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Njcyb.362928$Fm2.362681@attbi_s04...
> We flew to Rantoul, IL today -- home of the Chanute Air Museum, on the
site
> of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The wind was predicted to be
> howling -- winds aloft were calling for 54 knots at 6000 feet! -- but the
> sun was shining, and we were enjoying our first Saturday off since last
> Oshkosh. So off to Rantoul we went.
>
> Our local AWOS was calling the wind 180 at 13, gusts to 21 -- strong, but
> right down one of our three runways. Takeoff was a non-event, and the
cool
> temperatures meant we were soon climbing out at 1200+ fpm, even with 84
> gallons and four aboard.
>
> As we passed through 500 feet AGL, we experienced some moderate
turbulence,
> followed by some really "hinky" air -- you know, the kind that lifts first
> one wing sharply, then the other? It's an almost uncontrolled feeling,
> where you really just kind of keep things pointed in the right direction
as
> you climb through it.
>
> Then, the most amazing thing happened. Our ground speed, which had been
an
> anemic 90 knots or so climbing out in a shallow "cruise climb", suddenly
> accelerated sharply. Within seconds, we were doing 130 knots climbing on
> the SAME HEADING that had given us a headwind just moments earlier!
>
> Interestingly, the air instantly became silky-smooth, with hand's off
flight
> producing an absolutely rock-solid heading. As we leveled off at 5500
> feet, our ground speed rapidly climbed through 170 knots, meaning that we
> had a solid 30 knot tailwind, heading South. As we passed Muscatine, the
> smoke from the power plant clearly showed a wind out of the South, yet at
> 5500 feet we were riding a strong tailwind from the North.
>
> On the way home, Mary stayed down below 3000 feet, where the headwind (it
> was no longer out of the South down low, dang it) was considerably less.
We
> still dragged home at 117 knots, meaning we were bucking a 25 knot
headwind.
> The one time ATC asked us to climb to 3500 for radar coverage, we
instantly
> lost 25 knots in ground speed!
>
> Again, the air was smooth as glass, however. It's hard to envision an air
> flow that could cause such severe wind shear, yet not also cause moderate
to
> severe turbulence.
>
> Never seen anything quite like it.
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[mqd_117.3]

Peter Duniho wrote:
> *"R. Hubbell" > wrote in message
> news:Badyb.12188$ZE1.9049@fed1read04...
> > Why would you want a tow to where lenticulars clouds have formed?
>
> Two words: mountain wave. *


Formation of the mountain waves relies on several conditions. The
atmosphere is usually stable and an inversion may exist. The wind needs
to be blowing almost constantly within 30 degrees of perpendicular to
the barrier at a minimum speed of about 20 to 25 knots at the
ridgeline. Wind speed needs to also increase uniformly with height and
remain in the same direction. Wave crests can be upwind or downwind
from the range and their amplitude seems to vary with the vertical
stability of the flow. The crests of the waves may, (depending on the
air having sufficient moisture content), be identified by the formation
of lenticular clouds. Mountain waves can even extend into the
stratosphere and become more pronounced as height increases. I remember
reading somewhere of U2 pilots reportedly experiencing mountain waves
at 60,000 feet!!. In Australia, mountain waves are commonly experienced
over and to the lee of mountain ranges in the southeast of the
continent. They also often appear in the strong westerly wind flows our
east coast experiences in late winter and early spring. We definately
had some this year in mid-August for periods of up to 3 &4 5 days at a
time!
MQD_117.3


--
mqd_117.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted via OziPilots Online [ http://www.OziPilotsOnline.com.au ]
- A website for Australian Pilots regardless of when, why, or what they fly -

[Jay Honeck]

> Did you go in the museum and sit inside the B-52 cockpit? Biggest rudder
> pedals and trim wheel I've ever seen.

Yep! The kids and I thought that was the best part of the museum!

Best of all, because it's not a real busy place, the four of us actually
spent more than 20 minutes sitting in the "cockpit" (really the forward
fuselage, with ECM stations and everything) playing "SAC commander".

Very cool.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Paul Sengupta]

I was driving over the mountain here in Wales one night during
rather high winds...I couldn't get my Ford Fiesta (still air top speed
90mph) to go over 40mph. I didn't try turning round and going the
other way! :-)

Paul

"Nathan Young" > wrote in message
om...
> Ken Reed > wrote in message
>...
> > I saw a low of a 27 kt
> > ground speed in my Mooney !

> Ouch! That's brutal! Nothing worse than flying and watching the
> semis pass you on the interstate below.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Paul Sengupta wrote:
>
> The damnedest thing I've seen in that respect was from standing on
> the ground. I saw two layers of cloud fairly shifting over the ground
> but the thing was they were moving in different directions, at right
> angles to each other.

I came out of Raleigh, NC once, headed for New Jersey. Because of an overcast,
I had to stay down around 2000' for the first 100 miles, but then was able to
go to 9500'. I had about a 10 knot headwind down low and about a 40 knot tail
wind up high. I never did get used to it - I would look for my next visual
waypoint on the ground, and it would already be behind me!

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".