On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 11:42:48 -0500, Roy Smith wrote:

Dylan Smith wrote:
As for winds aloft, I'll look at the forecast, but I don't read anything
special into them, and don't do calculations.

Winds aloft can be a bitch. The difference between a 40 kt headwind and
a 40 kt tailwind can mean a factor of two in the range of a typical
piston single. For a good example of what can go wrong if you don't
take winds aloft into account properly, see the following link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3306443.stm


In the Philadelphia area I am usually dealing with winds aloft data
from Atlantic City and Wilkes Barre. Because of differences in
topography, proximity to the ocean and a host of issues that I am
probably unaware of, the data from these two locations varies
considerably. I'm usually flying somewhere in between so I attempt to
interpolate but the direction and speed is often so disparate that my
interpolation is all but useless. I still solicit this data but I use
it more to establish a set of expectations.

Rich Russell