Instructor » Mountain Flying » Wind Awareness
Wind Awareness
- Forecast conditions including synoptic
- ‘Fluid’ flow concept of air between, over and around terrain
- Significance of wind direction relative to terrain
- Wind patterns less than 15kts
- Wind patterns greater than 15kts
- Local patterns and effects
- Upper winds compared to lower winds i.e. comparison of wind in a valley with wind at altitude
- Indicators of wind velocity at altitude, for example
- snow
- drift
- lift/sink patterns
- VSI indications
- wave
- cloud movement
- Indicators of lower level wind velocity, for example
- tussocks
- water ripples/lanes on stationary water and wind shadow on water
- poplars
- willows
- crop
- smoke/dust
- drift, and drift indicators
- G/S versus A/S
- cloud shadows as indicator of upper wind and its influence on lower level wind
- Lift, sink, rotor, wave and turbulence
- Cloud types as indicators of potential flying conditions
- Applicability of Va and Vno
- Katabatic/anabatic winds in a valley
- Choice of flying low versus flying high