Hi Bruce, My flight instructor made me fly on windy days. At first was very scared, but with him beside me giving advice, it became much easier. Back then I was flying the Top-Flite Headmaster and in 15 mph winds was able to hover the plane all the way down to a landing. Those days brought smiles from ear to ear. :-)
Very good explanation. I once went to a local "fun fly" where contestants were tasked with lots of difficult (?) situations which in normal conditions weIre indeed "fun". However, the wind at the field was uncanny and no one would even take off. The luck of the draw put me as last. I was flying an older "pattern aircraft" and told my partner to start her up. He looked at me and said "It's blowing way too hard." To which I replied "The airplane doesn't know the wind is blowing." I took off and was the only flyer... I obviously "won" the contest.
If you struggle with orientation, turn your body with the orientation of the aircraft and look back over your shoulder. This helped me when learning to fly.
That is a useful tip in an emergency but I'd advise against using it as a crutch because being able to fly towards yourself while facing the model is an essential flying skill. If people are having trouble with this, I suggest they remember that when the model is flying towards you and you wish to correct its angle of bank, push the stick towards the low wing -- so as to prop it up. That is easy to remember and soon becomes an automatic response.
Hi Bruce, more great advice, thank you so much. We fly quads too (learning) and another I've heard is to imagine your behind the aircraft at all times, both this and pushing towards a dipping wing I struggle with, my boy seems to quickly learn though. We shall persevere. Thanks again
My way to orientate is to visualize myself sat at the controls in the plane. Its a sort of mental trick that works for me. That and endless hours on a computer simulator when I got started!
When I was still a novice RC fixed wing flyer, I still remember the first time I plucked up the courage to fly in 'wind'. I spent most of the time doing circuits - roaring with laughter - due to the differences in ground speed between flying upwind and downwind. When the time came to land - always a worrying time for beginners - again I laughed my head off. Landing upwind the plane went so slowly (ground speed) I was able to make the easiest perfect landing ever - the plane almost seemed to land 'on the spot'. Bruce, I wholeheartedly agree that the worst thing to do in the wind is to allow your craft to go even the smallest distance too far downwind.
I have been flying model aircraft for close to 60 years (57 to be accurate) it is always good to review things like this. Your comments about down wind turns is correct with one small change. You can use a turn into the wind for a gain in altitude, if done correctly, it's called impulse flying. Many pilots will notice a sharp climb is they turn quickly into the wing. With care you can gain a great deal of altitude. It make flying in wind all the more fun. In Kansas when the wind is to fast for powered flight we switch over to sail planes and ride the gusts. Great fun and a great video what you have in this video is a very good lesson set for learning to ride the changes in wind we all call gusts. Great work love the videos and the lessons.
The apparent tendency for a model to climb when turning into wind is another illusion. As I said, once the model leaves the ground it doesn't know there's any wind at all. I'll explain why you might think it's climbing when you turn into wind in another video if people want to know.
@@RCModelReviews I have to agree with Robert, it has to do with the kinetic energy from the plane. A simple way to explain it, when you're going upwind, your plane is going 50kph ground speed, 100kph air speed. Then you do a sharp turn into the wind, but the ground speed of your plane hasn't changed much because acceleration is not as fast as you turn rate. You know going maybe 75kph ground speed so only 25 kph air speed and there is your stall. The way to prevent this kind of stall is to make a large turn to allow the plane to gain ground speed before going full downwind :) It also explain why a sharp turn into the wind can be used to gain altitude like Robert describes. It's not a myth, it's just using the kinetic energy your plane has gained during the downwind phase. That's why a light model won't have so much issue, because the levels of kinetic energies are lower, they tend to accelerate or decelerate faster with the wind conditions.
@@0thomas0thomas I think that for physics explanations its important to ignore ground speed completely. Unless you are touching the ground then the ground speed will not give you any useful information about flight characteristics. Whether you make a turn in still air or in moving air you will not notice any differences. You only think things are different because, in the back of your mind, you are still thinking about the plane's ground speed. If you stall in a turn then you have exceeded the capability of your aircraft and the same turn at the same initial airspeed would result in a stall on a calm day. The illusion is that the same turn would look different on a calm day. @robert, Dynamic soaring isn't just about turning into the wind, it requires differing wind speeds which in this case also requires you to change altitude. Changing your attitude to reach the higher wind region and then going back is the key step your explanation was lacking.
@@ndvorsky "whether you make a turn in still air or in moving air you will not notice any differences" That is incorrect, because it completely neglects the kinetic energy the plane itself is carrying and wants to keep (law of inertia). Going downwind a 100 km/h wind with an additional 50 km/h Airspeed and then quickly doing a sharp turn into wind will momentarily (of course no 180° turn is without losses because you have drag / even higher drag in turns and turning into wind = higher airspeed = instantly much more drag) almost TRIPLE your airspeed from 50 to 150 km/h in a split second without any changes on your throttle input (also works for a glider who doesn't have a throttle of course). this sudden change in airspeed you can't replicate with identical inputs without wind. as thomas pointed out, it's because of the kinetic energy the plane itself is carrying. flying light models and doing slower turns mitigates this factor a ton because the model will quickly adapt to the same airspeed as before losing its smaller kinetic energy very rapidly, therefore it is not that relevant in this video. everything in this video said still applies for most light plane wind scenarios, this is just some detail robert wanted to add which wasn't touched 👌
Bruce, simply put, you rock. The knowledge you bring to your videos is astounding. I like flite test, but they're goofy and not nearly as informative as yourself. Where I live, if you don't fly in the wind, you just don't fly.
Hi Bruce - great tutorial. I've been flying in wind for years and have been persuading my flying buddies to do the same. They often say to me something along the lines of "If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have flown so much this year, I never flew in wind before". One thing you didn't mention which I've seen even experienced pilots fall foul of is the turn OUT of the downwind leg in the landing circuit. It is so easy to think your AIRSPEED is a lot higher than it actually is going into that turn and the loss of vertical lift (the higher the angle of bank the lower the vertical lift) is enough to cause the model to drop out of the sky. I've even done it myself in the past.
Today, 5/15/22, I was flying my Valiant (light, foamie trainer) in a wind of only about 7 kts but it was turbulent with a bit of crosswind component. Made a good landing but just as it came to a stop, the wind toppled it over on its back, like upside down. Was walking toward the plane to put it back on its wheels when a brief gust hit it and flipped it back upright, on its wheels and ready to continue. Never had seen that happen before in many years of flying. (NC/USA)
Great video and some great tips I have not heard before. M y go to plane for wind flying is the EFlite Valiant for such a lite plane it handles the wind quite well flying it into a strong wind with full flaps allows one to fly in in place great fun
Barry Cole: Yes flying with wind has many problems. We had a guy in the club who loved his curry and nobody would stand near him. I think he was called "Freddy Flatulant". 😳😁
“The wind is your friend “ Great fun doing “Vertical descending” landings. Ground speed =0, Airspeed - just slightly faster than wind speed, and down she comes slowly vertically like in a building lift. Until you hit wind shear at 1 m off the ground.
I learnt to fly am Eachine P51 400mm like you have in the win. Like NZ, Cape Town gets a touch breezy this time of year and flying the Mustang in the wind was huge fun. The plane lost all its paint and a few props from all the "landings" but still flying.. I love the way you deliver your content. Keep it up...
I haven't been flying long and joined a fantastic club with great peaple and top class instructors. My instructor insists I get practice flying in wind as he says you can miss out on stick time if you just fly on calm days. I now really look forward to windy flying days because it's so much fun and the experience you can gain. Landing into wind I now find is a breeze (no pun intended!) So practice in windy conditions. My instructor has also told me to cut the throttle right down on the down wind then increase on the turn for the upwind leg keeping everything level to punch through into strong wind. Landings, keeping wings level and decreasing throttle, pushing nose down to keep airspeed to prevent stall or wind throwing it upwards and perfect windy landing. Happy flying everyone
Thanks Bruce I usually learn something from your videos. Being a lousy pilot I find RTH very useful when I loose orientation. A 2metre Volantex Pheonix V2 is teaching me to fly better in the winds. (When I haven't got the glue gun out that is!!)
This is why people who have flown slope soarers make good windy weather fliers,in the days of single channel radio number one rule was always fly upwind,we had to because we had no elevators ! its odd because we flew in windier conditions more then with that simple gear than we do today,biggest problem is gusting which can really catch you out and turn your model upside down,and then there is rota which forms over undulated terrain,either way its fun and challenging with the right model.
Excellent video, Bruce. I too love flying in wind and agree that model choice is paramount. I am in England and for strong wind fun I fly a foamie Wot 4 (Brits will know the plane; it's similar to your FMS). It's flown nearly 500 flights so I'm totally familiar with it. Yes, it's lightly loaded but it's responsive which is a plus in turbulence. Great fun. And I often have the club field to myself as most members wouldn't dream of flying in the wind. A bonus is that once you master flying in wind flying in normal conditions seems so much easier. Perhaps the only point to make that you didn't cover is to ensure that whatever model you choose, the motor must have enough power to make headway into the wind. Finally, anyone scared of flying in wind should just look at the sky and see the birds are still flying with no problems at all! Grahame
Love the wind, but I'd disagree with one thing you said Bruce - Teksumo's are fantastic in the wind, cheap, wide flight envelope and they bounce well :-)
I started watching this video thinking cool I'm going to learn something. Did you seriously have to make it so educational that you blew my freaking mind!? You should be more considerate when giving out free awesome advice. I felt the wrinkles in my brain expand and grow on every new topic! I'm giving this video a 5 out of 5. It should only be a 4 out of 5 but I'm giving you 1 extra points because I literally smack myself in the head when i realized why two of my airplanes have falling out of the sky. Education is a dangerous weapon sir, and you poked my eye out!
Also establish how much throttle you are using to keep the plane "stationary" in the headwind. If the wind picks up and you find you are at full throttle to hold position then you need to lower altitude to slower air. I also find that as i dive the model, it gains speed so actually comes back upwind somewhat. And no flaps for landing!!😮
Had my 2.5mtr glider pretty much stationary about 30 feet above the ground today. And again at about 300 feet! 15kt SW winds at my local club hill/slope are so much fun!
Another great video, Bruce. Most of the members at my club fear strong winds, which is valid when your flying large aerobatic or scale planes. Not me, I bring out my "World Models Sky Raider" low wing trainer with a OS 55 ax glow engine, which rockets around the sky. Flying in strong winds can be big adrenaline rush, - on extremely windy days, I'll position the plane into the wind above me, and it hangs there, then I fly it down wind at mach 2 ! Great stuff.
Great video and tips Bruce, thanks. My son and I bought an AXN due to your build series and love flying her with only a few minor crashes to date but the tip about keeping airspeed really useful as we've witnessed this many a time. We don't find it easy though (but huge fun as you mentiin) in wind of 12MPH or above with the AXN due to the huge wings and always believed a heavier (less wing area) plane may increase stability, but maybe not! Cheers again and keep up the awesome work on the channel.
My thoughts are that a plane with a large wingspan has a larger moment arm which turbulence can use to tilt you over. On the other hand, a larger wing means that a turbulence cell won't engulf your entire wing at once.
Flying in wind is fun. I fly my E-Flite Apprentice. Often I "park it" in a single spot in the air where I have the throttle set so the air speed is equal to the wind speed and make it look like it is hovering. I have also done VTOL take-offs and Landing with my Apprentice or even done a landing going backwards. My biggest problem flying in high winds is not flipping while taxiing. Often I just hand launch and accept that my plane is going to flip shortly after I get it back on the ground. But choosing the right plane does mean it survives the ground flip without damage.
I've never had a problem with it really. I've flown in active hurricanes. With that said, everything I fly has some sort of flight stabilization (heli's, quads, and planes with a flight controller) and that helps a lot. Mr Steele has videos flying a mini-quad in crazy winds on top of a mountain. Not for the unskilled though because if you don't have full 3D orientation down then you're going to have problems when the wind kicks the model in a direction you didn't intend.
Much thanks for the tutelage . This good stuff for the multi rotors as well . I almost lost my toy drone because of reverse orientation past the line of reference . Fortunately the grocer had a tall enough ladder to help me rescue my gift Dronium III AP .
As usual a great video Bruce. I love flying my Timber in a windy day... it can just sit there ‘hovering’ prior to landing with the right mix. Yes mate, practice proves perfect! Many thanks indeed for all your great videos
Love flying in wind, Been wind sher' d too the earth a few times but planes Ok 👍🙏 Aeroscout ,umx Timber And My first plane sportcub s2 Lil guy .👍on All your content Thank You learning a lot
One more important thing is ailerons! A gust of wind may roll the plane so hard, that rudder only is not effective enough to get it back in line. Another thing with turning from downwind into the wind again: people, me included, try to fly the craft so it follows a circle on the ground. But with the wind blowing it away, you have to turn and pull really hard, to stay on that imaginary arc, which may cause the plane to stall.
G'day Bruce, Yay Team ! The only point which you forgot to mention, is that flying in strong winds is a trick that only works for RC Models which have Servo-operated movable Control-Surfaces... If you're using a Model featuring 2-Channel Asymetric-Thrust to "control" it (nudge it around the Sky, actually, although with practice and in still-air Loops, Hammerheads, and Immelman-Turns can in fact be managed...!), then their maximum tolerable Wind-Component is 0.75 of the Stall-Speed..., otherwise one cannot lose height without travelling downwind. Just(ifiably ?) sayin', Have a good one. ;-p Ciao !
Critical tip not mentioned. If the plane gets downwind of you and you choose to land it (or even if it wasn't your choice) in the distance, be absolutely sure to take a visual bearing of where it went down or your place last seen. "2nd telephone pole left of that mountain peak". Too often people just assume it's in a particular area, and they're wrong. You need to be able to go back to your flying location, sight your bearing and walk straight along that bearing. You may wind up thinking this must be the area and start a spiral search. But if you're wrong you need that bearing to try again from scratch. Second tip for a seriously lost plane -- for those who have one, take a mapping gps and do a bread crumb trail of your search pattern. It will let you see what areas have been thoroughly searched and where the holes in your search pattern are.
you missed #1: Fly with FPV, and #2: something heavy with lots of power. FPV makes the flying so much easier in wind, because it is a natural feedback loop way to fly - no disorientation possible. Heavy means inertia to resist turbulence. Fast means able to penetrate. My favourites for wind were the Ritewing Z2 wing, and now the Strix Goblin! In fact I maidened the Goblin in 50kph winds 2 weeeks ago, and it was beautiful. In fact I bought it ONLY for flying in wind, and it is really great in wind (normally hard to launch, but easy to launch in wind). and those 220kph downwind runs are a hoot. Oh and .. miniquads hardly feel the wind in my experience, all those gyros so heavy, powerful and no windage.
My model as you showed gone over magic line and it was going behind while flying into the wind in full throttle also. also it was going behind and going upward. then i pulled elevator to make plane dive to nose. then i was able to recover it. else it was about to lost. Thanks for your white board video. I will take care of these points in my next wind flying. Thanks again.
My go to windy day model was a Limbo Dancer fun fly which had very low wing loading but was very manoeuvreable. The main problem was getting to it after landing before it was blown over - or away!
My favorites for really windy days are Techone Trainer King, Tundra, and a Popwing. Most guys hang and sit it out but I will put those up. When I first joined my club one guy asked what I fly. I responded pretty much foamys. He said "foamys are great but can't handle any kind of wind". Haha yeah ok dude
I have flown my Hobbyzone Champ on some fairly windy days, and I enjoy the challenge. Only thing is here in BC there is no such thing as wide open fields to fly in. The trees are much too close together.
Word of advice. When flying in a park with light park fliers and your enjoying the wind. Beware! I almost landed a plane like a helicopter once. It was coming straight down with no forward movement. Once I got to the 15-20 ft mark the houses across the road took my wind and it nosedived hard. Enjoy the wind. It’s a hoot!
If you dont learn to fly in wind you will cut your flying time by nearly 75%. There is always some level of wind and what you end up doing is constantly waiting for a perfect non windy day to fly.....Good luck with that! Sure non windy days happen but even then on the ground you may experience a no wind, but you get up 2 or 3 hundred feet and run into wind and not be ready for it. Now I agree with everything this guys says, but I prefer to take off with the wind behind my plane only because I feel my plane is more stable and gets moving faster. If it feels It can't come back I turn it into the wind and slow it down faster and drop it down ASAP, but this has only happened to me once. Now I build my own planes out of foamboard and put in motors electronics and props that are way over powered so the planes are strong enough to pull against the wind anyway, as you may run into wind anytime you fly. And you dont always have to fly full throttle. You will be surprised how prop choice gives you a lot more control on different weather conditions, rich guys have variable props. This leads to my last recommendation..... On windy days go with a prop that is at least 20% longer then recommended for your plane, I go from 8 inch to 9 inch. Then the screw should be stronger too. I go from 8x4 prop to 9x5 to as much as 9x8 if I have one in my bag and it depends on wind conditions. Yes the extra bite may cause more torque roll but the wind will compensate under the wings for steadyness. I dont notice it but other pilots might. That extra bite also helps to pull the plane against the wind. He is right! Flying in wind, once you get used to it, is fun and it is a good skill to have on those nice days when you dont know there is wind gusts above you and find out only by running into them when you are flying.
You're getting more and more long-winded(!). The most important thing is the wing section - symmetrical or flat plate. It's a great fallacy that the model doesn't know which way the wind is blowing. Look at a F/F model with a free-wheeling prop. It speeds up into wind and slows down downwind. I've seen a full-size Pitts biplane crash in a downwind turn. Finally, use your telekinetic powers, it's all in the mind.
I've always flown in wind out of sheer desperation/stupidity, but noticed over time that it was a lot of fun and started doing it on purpose. One of my most fun flights ever was on my 30th birthday, in the tail-end of a cyclone, on a tiny school field, with a giant annular-wing scratchbuilt (wing was over 2m circumference if unrolled) that weighed under 300g. :) Great advice on all fronts. Only thing I wanted to clarify was: I've also been told heavier+faster is better, not specifically for wind, but for turbulence - because the momentary variation in airspeed/direction that turbulence causes has proportionally less effect. Is this not the case in your experience? and/or is it one of those things where it's true on paper but is outweighed by other factors in practice?
I find dedicated power model flyers struggle with wind. If you gain experience with slope soaring gliders in strong wind the whole process becomes a lot easier and way less daunting. Re flying towards your self. Just push the stick towards the low wing and up it comes.
Most important part is how to land in windy weather.... 1)Just align your plane with the direction of wind 2)Slow down a bit so that your plane can hover very slowly.. 3)Take two to three circles around to get correct landing speed... 4) just land down slowly. Try not to break your landing gear.. WATCH MY PLANE'S VIDEO.. I LANDED IN VERY WINDY CONDITIONS... ALSO I CRASHED MY STUNT PLANE AS WELL... RIP. xD
Great Video , Sadly i did not watch this video on time ,and i lost a model trying to get it back instead of just landing it , thanksfully it was a cheep model the : Volantex Ranger 600, i thought on my mistakes and i bought another one and im back flying again , but thanks a lot for your advises
I'll have to give that a try! Most of my club's pilots stay away in anything more than 5mph winds. I've gone out in 8mph wind and had the field to myself. I'll look for a traditional model to complement my flying wing and give it a try when there are high winds
Back when my main plane was sturdier, my comfortable speed was 12 mph and the most I flew in was 20. I think it only survived because I had differential thrust and an excess of thrust otherwise, I would not have been skilled enough to make it.
Very good points and hit home for me 😞lost a racing drone last week in hight winds got far and tried to save it wish I had seen this video a week ago 😫
Nah!...... I've tried flying backwards and I'm rubbish at it. :D When it gets windy I break out the RC truck. But for those who enjoy that level of excitement the video is excellent
I've been flying FPV for years and I've flown in high winds but I always put it off with my good models because of "the fear" - this is a problem in the UK because we generally have around 8-15mph constantly unless it's early morning/late in the evening and I miss out on a lot of flying because of it. Stupid really, thanks for the wake up call.
Flew in a rainstorm 3 years ago Was about 30 km out when it hit Best day of my life The turbulence the sound The thunder The lighting Waiting for the day I come up against a storm like that again
Hmmm as a Noob with two dozens of flights only because always waiting for « that » perfect day to fly, You made me curious and I feel like trying to push the limits.
I live on the top of a 700 foot hill, its windy most days, sometimes its still or so windy you can't stand in the open. I'm 2 years into teaching myself to fly, I have a racing drone, a couple of helicopters, a couple of gliders, a warmliner and 4 powered aircraft. I still wait for that perfect day but I'm learning in light to medium wind, and I would say to you, don't let wind put you off, follow advice in this video and try it, as he says, the rewards are high and it's really not difficult, although I've had 2 big crashes with fixed wind and 2 fly away drones never to be seen again. So it's difficult if it goes wrong, my hands tremble so bad you can see it in the plane as it flys along. I'm very much a beginner and my hat is off to all RC pilots, but as a fellow newbie with a wind problem, don't let wind stop you, the perfect days will still come along, and you'll have a blast. Good luck.
Haha, I just found this the day after I stalled my flying wing into the wind half of the way through an Immelman loop. Same flight, turbulence caused my plane to literally invert itself. I didn't crash but it scared the shit out of me. Plus, I flew in less than a 2 acre plot. scary as hell, and a little stupid.
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Living in Scotland, I may be forced to do a "how to fly in a calm day" video. We have very little experience on this subject.
I live in Scotland too. I'm over in Argyll. Whereabouts are you? (Not your address. Just the region.)
Hi Bruce,
My flight instructor made me fly on windy days. At first was very scared, but with him beside me giving advice, it became much easier. Back then I was flying the Top-Flite Headmaster and in 15 mph winds was able to hover the plane all the way down to a landing. Those days brought smiles from ear to ear. :-)
When it's blowing half a gale... I grab a wing, climb a hill, and slope soar... So much fun!
yes higher up the air is so much cleaner on windy days, away from mechanical turbulence caused by the uneveness and objects on the ground.
or grab a kite
Very good explanation. I once went to a local "fun fly" where contestants were tasked with lots of difficult (?) situations which in normal conditions weIre indeed "fun". However, the wind at the field was uncanny and no one would even take off. The luck of the draw put me as last. I was flying an older "pattern aircraft" and told my partner to start her up. He looked at me and said "It's blowing way too hard." To which I replied "The airplane doesn't know the wind is blowing." I took off and was the only flyer... I obviously "won" the contest.
If you struggle with orientation, turn your body with the orientation of the aircraft and look back over your shoulder. This helped me when learning to fly.
Cracking tip as I'm struggling at the moment and it's so frustrating, probably my age lol as my boy seems to grasp orientation far quicker!
That is a useful tip in an emergency but I'd advise against using it as a crutch because being able to fly towards yourself while facing the model is an essential flying skill. If people are having trouble with this, I suggest they remember that when the model is flying towards you and you wish to correct its angle of bank, push the stick towards the low wing -- so as to prop it up. That is easy to remember and soon becomes an automatic response.
Hi Bruce, more great advice, thank you so much. We fly quads too (learning) and another I've heard is to imagine your behind the aircraft at all times, both this and pushing towards a dipping wing I struggle with, my boy seems to quickly learn though. We shall persevere. Thanks again
The best tip that has helped me, is when the plane is coming towards you, push the stick towards the lowest wing.
My way to orientate is to visualize myself sat at the controls in the plane. Its a sort of mental trick that works for me. That and endless hours on a computer simulator when I got started!
"it is some of the best fun you can have with your pants on!!!" thats tempting
Bruce so glad that you are still teaching. I hope one day to be as great an RC Pilot as you!
Be careful what you wish for... I'm not as good as I look (video editing is a powerful tool) :-)
When I was still a novice RC fixed wing flyer, I still remember the first time I plucked up the courage to fly in 'wind'. I spent most of the time doing circuits - roaring with laughter - due to the differences in ground speed between flying upwind and downwind. When the time came to land - always a worrying time for beginners - again I laughed my head off. Landing upwind the plane went so slowly (ground speed) I was able to make the easiest perfect landing ever - the plane almost seemed to land 'on the spot'. Bruce, I wholeheartedly agree that the worst thing to do in the wind is to allow your craft to go even the smallest distance too far downwind.
Right lol wings can hit some crazy high speeds with the wind on their back
I have been flying model aircraft for close to 60 years (57 to be accurate) it is always good to review things like this. Your comments about down wind turns is correct with one small change. You can use a turn into the wind for a gain in altitude, if done correctly, it's called impulse flying. Many pilots will notice a sharp climb is they turn quickly into the wing. With care you can gain a great deal of altitude. It make flying in wind all the more fun. In Kansas when the wind is to fast for powered flight we switch over to sail planes and ride the gusts. Great fun and a great video what you have in this video is a very good lesson set for learning to ride the changes in wind we all call gusts.
Great work love the videos and the lessons.
The apparent tendency for a model to climb when turning into wind is another illusion. As I said, once the model leaves the ground it doesn't know there's any wind at all. I'll explain why you might think it's climbing when you turn into wind in another video if people want to know.
You may want to do a little research into dynamic soaring. Some of the articles can explain it better than I can.
@@RCModelReviews I have to agree with Robert, it has to do with the kinetic energy from the plane.
A simple way to explain it, when you're going upwind, your plane is going 50kph ground speed, 100kph air speed. Then you do a sharp turn into the wind, but the ground speed of your plane hasn't changed much because acceleration is not as fast as you turn rate. You know going maybe 75kph ground speed so only 25 kph air speed and there is your stall.
The way to prevent this kind of stall is to make a large turn to allow the plane to gain ground speed before going full downwind :)
It also explain why a sharp turn into the wind can be used to gain altitude like Robert describes. It's not a myth, it's just using the kinetic energy your plane has gained during the downwind phase.
That's why a light model won't have so much issue, because the levels of kinetic energies are lower, they tend to accelerate or decelerate faster with the wind conditions.
@@0thomas0thomas I think that for physics explanations its important to ignore ground speed completely. Unless you are touching the ground then the ground speed will not give you any useful information about flight characteristics. Whether you make a turn in still air or in moving air you will not notice any differences. You only think things are different because, in the back of your mind, you are still thinking about the plane's ground speed. If you stall in a turn then you have exceeded the capability of your aircraft and the same turn at the same initial airspeed would result in a stall on a calm day. The illusion is that the same turn would look different on a calm day.
@robert, Dynamic soaring isn't just about turning into the wind, it requires differing wind speeds which in this case also requires you to change altitude. Changing your attitude to reach the higher wind region and then going back is the key step your explanation was lacking.
@@ndvorsky "whether you make a turn in still air or in moving air you will not notice any differences"
That is incorrect, because it completely neglects the kinetic energy the plane itself is carrying and wants to keep (law of inertia). Going downwind a 100 km/h wind with an additional 50 km/h Airspeed and then quickly doing a sharp turn into wind will momentarily (of course no 180° turn is without losses because you have drag / even higher drag in turns and turning into wind = higher airspeed = instantly much more drag) almost TRIPLE your airspeed from 50 to 150 km/h in a split second without any changes on your throttle input (also works for a glider who doesn't have a throttle of course). this sudden change in airspeed you can't replicate with identical inputs without wind. as thomas pointed out, it's because of the kinetic energy the plane itself is carrying. flying light models and doing slower turns mitigates this factor a ton because the model will quickly adapt to the same airspeed as before losing its smaller kinetic energy very rapidly, therefore it is not that relevant in this video. everything in this video said still applies for most light plane wind scenarios, this is just some detail robert wanted to add which wasn't touched 👌
Excellent video. I am a pilot but flying when you are not in a plane in wind could be quite challenging. Thanks for your excellent explanations.
My go to plane in heavy wind is actually an FT Versa wing. The launch is a little sketchy but lots of fun.
Very clear and wise explanation of flying in wind.
Wind is relative to ground! Makes so much sense! Just came inside after successful windy flights following watching this video.
Bruce, simply put, you rock. The knowledge you bring to your videos is astounding. I like flite test, but they're goofy and not nearly as informative as yourself.
Where I live, if you don't fly in the wind, you just don't fly.
One of the best videos in a long time. I use a cheap simulator to reinforce my muscle memory during the winter when flying is not as fun (
Hi Bruce - great tutorial. I've been flying in wind for years and have been persuading my flying buddies to do the same. They often say to me something along the lines of "If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have flown so much this year, I never flew in wind before".
One thing you didn't mention which I've seen even experienced pilots fall foul of is the turn OUT of the downwind leg in the landing circuit. It is so easy to think your AIRSPEED is a lot higher than it actually is going into that turn and the loss of vertical lift (the higher the angle of bank the lower the vertical lift) is enough to cause the model to drop out of the sky. I've even done it myself in the past.
Today, 5/15/22, I was flying my Valiant (light, foamie trainer) in a wind of only about 7 kts but it was turbulent with a bit of crosswind component. Made a good landing but just as it came to a stop, the wind toppled it over on its back, like upside down. Was walking toward the plane to put it back on its wheels when a brief gust hit it and flipped it back upright, on its wheels and ready to continue. Never had seen that happen before in many years of flying. (NC/USA)
Great video and some great tips I have not heard before. M y go to plane for wind flying is the EFlite Valiant for such a lite plane it handles the wind quite well flying it into a strong wind with full flaps allows one to fly in in place great fun
Flying into the wind, a favorite, your lectures are riveting...Mate.
For the next Video, how about "Flying with wind"
Barry Cole: Yes flying with wind has many problems. We had a guy in the club who loved his curry and nobody would stand near him. I think he was called "Freddy Flatulant". 😳😁
Great, practical advice. This is going to be a big help for me.
Excellent tutorial! I love flying in wind. Well, i'd want to considering how much we get here in Ireland!
Where abouts in ireland im down west cork?
“The wind is your friend “
Great fun doing “Vertical descending” landings.
Ground speed =0, Airspeed - just slightly faster than wind speed, and down she comes slowly vertically like in a building lift.
Until you hit wind shear at 1 m off the ground.
I learnt to fly am Eachine P51 400mm like you have in the win. Like NZ, Cape Town gets a touch breezy this time of year and flying the Mustang in the wind was huge fun. The plane lost all its paint and a few props from all the "landings" but still flying..
I love the way you deliver your content. Keep it up...
As a newb, this was so helpful!
I haven't been flying long and joined a fantastic club with great peaple and top class instructors. My instructor insists I get practice flying in wind as he says you can miss out on stick time if you just fly on calm days. I now really look forward to windy flying days because it's so much fun and the experience you can gain. Landing into wind I now find is a breeze (no pun intended!) So practice in windy conditions. My instructor has also told me to cut the throttle right down on the down wind then increase on the turn for the upwind leg keeping everything level to punch through into strong wind. Landings, keeping wings level and decreasing throttle, pushing nose down to keep airspeed to prevent stall or wind throwing it upwards and perfect windy landing. Happy flying everyone
Thanks Bruce I usually learn something from your videos. Being a lousy pilot I find RTH very useful when I loose orientation. A 2metre Volantex Pheonix V2 is teaching me to fly better in the winds. (When I haven't got the glue gun out that is!!)
This is why people who have flown slope soarers make good windy weather fliers,in the days of single channel radio number one rule was always fly upwind,we had to because we had no elevators ! its odd because we flew in windier conditions more then with that simple gear than we do today,biggest problem is gusting which can really catch you out and turn your model upside down,and then there is rota which forms over undulated terrain,either way its fun and challenging with the right model.
Thanks for the tips Bruce. flying in windy conditions is great practice with my HK Walrus.
MY GOD! your still alive! my favorite teacher! cheers! :) from chicago!
Excellent video, Bruce. I too love flying in wind and agree that model choice is paramount. I am in England and for strong wind fun I fly a foamie Wot 4 (Brits will know the plane; it's similar to your FMS). It's flown nearly 500 flights so I'm totally familiar with it. Yes, it's lightly loaded but it's responsive which is a plus in turbulence. Great fun. And I often have the club field to myself as most members wouldn't dream of flying in the wind. A bonus is that once you master flying in wind flying in normal conditions seems so much easier. Perhaps the only point to make that you didn't cover is to ensure that whatever model you choose, the motor must have enough power to make headway into the wind. Finally, anyone scared of flying in wind should just look at the sky and see the birds are still flying with no problems at all! Grahame
I am so glad that I watched your video . I have learned so much from you and thank you!
Love the wind, but I'd disagree with one thing you said Bruce - Teksumo's are fantastic in the wind, cheap, wide flight envelope and they bounce well :-)
Flying a quadcopter in acro mode, line-of-sight, in the wind is pretty fun. I like getting the perfect hover, dialing out the wind.
I started watching this video thinking cool I'm going to learn something. Did you seriously have to make it so educational that you blew my freaking mind!? You should be more considerate when giving out free awesome advice. I felt the wrinkles in my brain expand and grow on every new topic! I'm giving this video a 5 out of 5. It should only be a 4 out of 5 but I'm giving you 1 extra points because I literally smack myself in the head when i realized why two of my airplanes have falling out of the sky. Education is a dangerous weapon sir, and you poked my eye out!
You can use the thermals to fly in the wing great teaching this chap is very experience.
Also establish how much throttle you are using to keep the plane "stationary" in the headwind. If the wind picks up and you find you are at full throttle to hold position then you need to lower altitude to slower air. I also find that as i dive the model, it gains speed so actually comes back upwind somewhat. And no flaps for landing!!😮
Had my 2.5mtr glider pretty much stationary about 30 feet above the ground today. And again at about 300 feet! 15kt SW winds at my local club hill/slope are so much fun!
Another great video, Bruce. Most of the members at my club fear strong winds, which is valid when your flying large aerobatic or scale planes. Not me, I bring out my "World Models Sky Raider" low wing trainer with a OS 55 ax glow engine, which rockets around the sky. Flying in strong winds can be big adrenaline rush, - on extremely windy days, I'll position the plane into the wind above me, and it hangs there, then I fly it down wind at mach 2 ! Great stuff.
Great video and tips Bruce, thanks. My son and I bought an AXN due to your build series and love flying her with only a few minor crashes to date but the tip about keeping airspeed really useful as we've witnessed this many a time.
We don't find it easy though (but huge fun as you mentiin) in wind of 12MPH or above with the AXN due to the huge wings and always believed a heavier (less wing area) plane may increase stability, but maybe not! Cheers again and keep up the awesome work on the channel.
My thoughts are that a plane with a large wingspan has a larger moment arm which turbulence can use to tilt you over. On the other hand, a larger wing means that a turbulence cell won't engulf your entire wing at once.
Flying in wind is fun. I fly my E-Flite Apprentice. Often I "park it" in a single spot in the air where I have the throttle set so the air speed is equal to the wind speed and make it look like it is hovering. I have also done VTOL take-offs and Landing with my Apprentice or even done a landing going backwards. My biggest problem flying in high winds is not flipping while taxiing. Often I just hand launch and accept that my plane is going to flip shortly after I get it back on the ground. But choosing the right plane does mean it survives the ground flip without damage.
I've never had a problem with it really. I've flown in active hurricanes. With that said, everything I fly has some sort of flight stabilization (heli's, quads, and planes with a flight controller) and that helps a lot. Mr Steele has videos flying a mini-quad in crazy winds on top of a mountain.
Not for the unskilled though because if you don't have full 3D orientation down then you're going to have problems when the wind kicks the model in a direction you didn't intend.
Much thanks for the tutelage . This good stuff for the multi rotors as well . I almost lost my toy drone because of reverse orientation past the line of reference . Fortunately the grocer had a tall enough ladder to help me rescue my gift Dronium III AP .
As usual a great video Bruce.
I love flying my Timber in a windy day... it can just sit there ‘hovering’ prior to landing with the right mix. Yes mate, practice proves perfect!
Many thanks indeed for all your great videos
Always enjoy your videos learned so much , wind makes it fun, we have fun flying our cub backwards into the wind.
Love flying in wind, Been wind sher' d too the earth a few times but planes Ok 👍🙏 Aeroscout ,umx Timber And My first plane sportcub s2 Lil guy .👍on All your content Thank You learning a lot
I love these tip videos. Thanks Bruce!
Thank you! Appreciate info!
One more important thing is ailerons! A gust of wind may roll the plane so hard, that rudder only is not effective enough to get it back in line.
Another thing with turning from downwind into the wind again: people, me included, try to fly the craft so it follows a circle on the ground. But with the wind blowing it away, you have to turn and pull really hard, to stay on that imaginary arc, which may cause the plane to stall.
G'day Bruce,
Yay Team !
The only point which you forgot to mention, is that flying in strong winds is a trick that only works for RC Models which have Servo-operated movable Control-Surfaces...
If you're using a Model featuring 2-Channel Asymetric-Thrust to "control" it (nudge it around the Sky, actually, although with practice and in still-air Loops, Hammerheads, and Immelman-Turns can in fact be managed...!), then their maximum tolerable Wind-Component is 0.75 of the Stall-Speed..., otherwise one cannot lose height without travelling downwind.
Just(ifiably ?) sayin',
Have a good one.
;-p
Ciao !
It's not the wind speed I find difficult to deal with, it's the turbulence and wind shear 😁
19:09 - just simply hit the switch assigned for RTH. I simply love iNAV! :D
Critical tip not mentioned. If the plane gets downwind of you and you choose to land it (or even if it wasn't your choice) in the distance, be absolutely sure to take a visual bearing of where it went down or your place last seen. "2nd telephone pole left of that mountain peak". Too often people just assume it's in a particular area, and they're wrong. You need to be able to go back to your flying location, sight your bearing and walk straight along that bearing. You may wind up thinking this must be the area and start a spiral search. But if you're wrong you need that bearing to try again from scratch. Second tip for a seriously lost plane -- for those who have one, take a mapping gps and do a bread crumb trail of your search pattern. It will let you see what areas have been thoroughly searched and where the holes in your search pattern are.
Truly excellent and useful advice Bruce! Thanks a lot for your experience and time mate!
you missed #1: Fly with FPV, and #2: something heavy with lots of power. FPV makes the flying so much easier in wind, because it is a natural feedback loop way to fly - no disorientation possible. Heavy means inertia to resist turbulence. Fast means able to penetrate. My favourites for wind were the Ritewing Z2 wing, and now the Strix Goblin! In fact I maidened the Goblin in 50kph winds 2 weeeks ago, and it was beautiful. In fact I bought it ONLY for flying in wind, and it is really great in wind (normally hard to launch, but easy to launch in wind). and those 220kph downwind runs are a hoot. Oh and .. miniquads hardly feel the wind in my experience, all those gyros so heavy, powerful and no windage.
Picking the right model and having fun with ya pants on. 🙄🙄
Good entertainment and ya learn something.
Can't be bad. 👍 from me. Thanks.
My model as you showed gone over magic line and it was going behind while flying into the wind in full throttle also. also it was going behind and going upward. then i pulled elevator to make plane dive to nose. then i was able to recover it. else it was about to lost. Thanks for your white board video. I will take care of these points in my next wind flying. Thanks again.
My go to windy day model was a Limbo Dancer fun fly which had very low wing loading but was very manoeuvreable. The main problem was getting to it after landing before it was blown over - or away!
My favorites for really windy days are Techone Trainer King, Tundra, and a Popwing. Most guys hang and sit it out but I will put those up. When I first joined my club one guy asked what I fly. I responded pretty much foamys. He said "foamys are great but can't handle any kind of wind". Haha yeah ok dude
13:12 Thats gonna save a lot of time 👍thanks
Use the windsock to tell you. When the pole is bowled over and flat on the ground it's too windy to fly.
Sir..thanks for your information. 👍
Excellent info Thanks
Always avoided wind, but I'll give it a go. 😀
I have flown my Hobbyzone Champ on some fairly windy days, and I enjoy the challenge. Only thing is here in BC there is no such thing as wide open fields to fly in. The trees are much too close together.
Thanks 👍 I like your white board lessons very much
Word of advice. When flying in a park with light park fliers and your enjoying the wind. Beware! I almost landed a plane like a helicopter once. It was coming straight down with no forward movement. Once I got to the 15-20 ft mark the houses across the road took my wind and it nosedived hard. Enjoy the wind. It’s a hoot!
If you dont learn to fly in wind you will cut your flying time by nearly 75%. There is always some level of wind and what you end up doing is constantly waiting for a perfect non windy day to fly.....Good luck with that!
Sure non windy days happen but even then on the ground you may experience a no wind, but you get up 2 or 3 hundred feet and run into wind and not be ready for it.
Now I agree with everything this guys says, but I prefer to take off with the wind behind my plane only because I feel my plane is more stable and gets moving faster. If it feels It can't come back I turn it into the wind and slow it down faster and drop it down ASAP, but this has only happened to me once.
Now I build my own planes out of foamboard and put in motors electronics and props that are way over powered so the planes are strong enough to pull against the wind anyway, as you may run into wind anytime you fly. And you dont always have to fly full throttle.
You will be surprised how prop choice gives you a lot more control on different weather conditions, rich guys have variable props.
This leads to my last recommendation.....
On windy days go with a prop that is at least 20% longer then recommended for your plane, I go from 8 inch to 9 inch.
Then the screw should be stronger too. I go from 8x4 prop to 9x5 to as much as 9x8 if I have one in my bag and it depends on wind conditions.
Yes the extra bite may cause more torque roll but the wind will compensate under the wings for steadyness. I dont notice it but other pilots might.
That extra bite also helps to pull the plane against the wind.
He is right! Flying in wind, once you get used to it, is fun and it is a good skill to have on those nice days when you dont know there is wind gusts above you and find out only by running into them when you are flying.
You're getting more and more long-winded(!). The most important thing is the wing section - symmetrical or flat plate. It's a great fallacy that the model doesn't know which way the wind is blowing. Look at a F/F model with a free-wheeling prop. It speeds up into wind and slows down downwind. I've seen a full-size Pitts biplane crash in a downwind turn. Finally, use your telekinetic powers, it's all in the mind.
I've always flown in wind out of sheer desperation/stupidity, but noticed over time that it was a lot of fun and started doing it on purpose. One of my most fun flights ever was on my 30th birthday, in the tail-end of a cyclone, on a tiny school field, with a giant annular-wing scratchbuilt (wing was over 2m circumference if unrolled) that weighed under 300g. :) Great advice on all fronts. Only thing I wanted to clarify was: I've also been told heavier+faster is better, not specifically for wind, but for turbulence - because the momentary variation in airspeed/direction that turbulence causes has proportionally less effect. Is this not the case in your experience? and/or is it one of those things where it's true on paper but is outweighed by other factors in practice?
I find dedicated power model flyers struggle with wind. If you gain experience with slope soaring gliders in strong wind the whole process becomes a lot easier and way less daunting. Re flying towards your self. Just push the stick towards the low wing and up it comes.
Most important part is how to land in windy weather.... 1)Just align your plane with the direction of wind
2)Slow down a bit so that your plane can hover very slowly..
3)Take two to three circles around to get correct landing speed...
4) just land down slowly. Try not to break your landing gear..
WATCH MY PLANE'S VIDEO.. I LANDED IN VERY WINDY CONDITIONS... ALSO I CRASHED MY STUNT PLANE AS WELL... RIP. xD
Now i know why i fly like an idiot sometimes, thanks Bruce.
Good video, thanks
That was very helpful. Thanks.
Great Video ,
Sadly i did not watch this video on time ,and i lost a model trying to get it back instead of just landing it , thanksfully it was a cheep model the : Volantex Ranger 600,
i thought on my mistakes and i bought another one and im back flying again , but thanks a lot for your advises
Great tutorial. Thanks
I'll have to give that a try! Most of my club's pilots stay away in anything more than 5mph winds. I've gone out in 8mph wind and had the field to myself. I'll look for a traditional model to complement my flying wing and give it a try when there are high winds
Back when my main plane was sturdier, my comfortable speed was 12 mph and the most I flew in was 20. I think it only survived because I had differential thrust and an excess of thrust otherwise, I would not have been skilled enough to make it.
Very good points and hit home for me 😞lost a racing drone last week in hight winds got far and tried to save it wish I had seen this video a week ago 😫
Very good.
I love flying my hundred-mile-an-hour Striker in high winds is so much fun
I learned something today :) thank you
Nah!...... I've tried flying backwards and I'm rubbish at it. :D
When it gets windy I break out the RC truck.
But for those who enjoy that level of excitement the video is excellent
thank you, sir. I learned so much watching this video :)
I've been flying FPV for years and I've flown in high winds but I always put it off with my good models because of "the fear" - this is a problem in the UK because we generally have around 8-15mph constantly unless it's early morning/late in the evening and I miss out on a lot of flying because of it. Stupid really, thanks for the wake up call.
We'll done. Thanks
Top video a man of knowledge thanks
We can use a simple stabilizer for windy conditions. just a counteract the unwanted shaking
I'm using an S6R and still not confident enough to fly in +20 kph winds
Private I’m using a feiyu tech gyro with self leveling and when it’s windy i have it On makes good smooth video.
Flew in a rainstorm 3 years ago
Was about 30 km out when it hit
Best day of my life
The turbulence the sound
The thunder
The lighting
Waiting for the day I come up against a storm like that again
Epp foam delta combat wings in the wind is the best!
Hmmm as a Noob with two dozens of flights only because always waiting for « that » perfect day to fly, You made me curious and I feel like trying to push the limits.
I live on the top of a 700 foot hill, its windy most days, sometimes its still or so windy you can't stand in the open.
I'm 2 years into teaching myself to fly, I have a racing drone, a couple of helicopters, a couple of gliders, a warmliner and 4 powered aircraft. I still wait for that perfect day but I'm learning in light to medium wind, and I would say to you, don't let wind put you off, follow advice in this video and try it, as he says, the rewards are high and it's really not difficult, although I've had 2 big crashes with fixed wind and 2 fly away drones never to be seen again.
So it's difficult if it goes wrong, my hands tremble so bad you can see it in the plane as it flys along.
I'm very much a beginner and my hat is off to all RC pilots, but as a fellow newbie with a wind problem, don't let wind stop you, the perfect days will still come along, and you'll have a blast.
Good luck.
great stuff thanks!!
Was flying my parkjet in the wind today. Flipped over by a gust and airspeed was to low to right it due to slow landing speed and recked the nose
Nice
Who flies facing the wind, usually to the left or right unless you are slope soaring.
I live flying in high winds... although I'm primarily a slope soarer ;)
Haha, I just found this the day after I stalled my flying wing into the wind half of the way through an Immelman loop. Same flight, turbulence caused my plane to literally invert itself. I didn't crash but it scared the shit out of me.
Plus, I flew in less than a 2 acre plot. scary as hell, and a little stupid.
Comfort levels are improved by fitting a gyro.
Today cub s2. Got sucked up and left southward. 5mph ground speed. Couldn't recall it. Couldn't crash it. Guessing termal stole it ?
Good advice Bruce. What do I do about the huge tree that keeps jumping in front of my quad?... :O(