Flacke wrote:Hagar wrote:And if you add a heavy head wind into that you will definitely run into a problem.
Surely a strong headwind would shorten the take-off distance. Correct me if I'm wrong but we're talking airspeed, not groundspeed.
Exactly Hagar, the more headwind on takeoff the better. That is why you always take off from the runway that is pointed INTO the wind. Your indicated speed upon rotation will be the same but your takeoff roll will be shorter. More headwind equals shorter takeoff.
One would think that but wind also increases drag. Every aircraft has a limit as to how much wind it can take off in. Wind has several different aspects to it. It is a rare occasion when the wind is blowing exactly head on. Every one should know that a runway is assigned by the direction of the wind so it is blowing as much as possible straight at you. A pilot has to know how much of a cross wind and a tail wind does he have when taking off. So if you are supposed to take off on runway 8 than than means your compass will read close to 080 degrees but like I said the odds are rare that the wind is at 080 exactly so as it moves away from 080 you have to add cross wind components and tail wind components. And in case you do not know a tail wind is a bad thing.
as well as to much cross wind. So there are times when wind can be your enemy.
Of course everyone should know it is not a good idea to land or take off during a strong thunder storm because of the down drafts and wind shear. In most cases an airport will shut down if the thunder storm is to strong
The last thing you want during landing or taking off is a sudden shift in the wind. Bad things can happen in a heart beat.
I used to be a load planner and one of the things I had to know was how much of crosswind and tail wind was blowing. Most of the airliners are not effected to much by these winds but as they increase they become a factor at some point in time.
Like I said every aircraft has its limits as to how much crosswinds and tail winds it can deal with safely.
On a clear day you will usually not have to worry about winds but that can change pretty quick.
