rzbill
Well Known Member
Ok, since you two started it, here is my wind story for the locality. I have flown a number of times out of Asheville AVL when the 7K to 9K winds were 50Kt. Normally not very bumpy on the way up. Interestingly, when going east in the early morning with high winds, the ridge is not bad. HOW..EVER, about 25 miles further east, basically dead north of Rutherfordton FQD is the spot that is commonly downwind of the Mt Mitchell complex. It can be quite choppy for a few minutes.
The worst was last year. With the GPS integration we have now, we get a direct reading of wind. I took off north into a common 15 to 20ish knot headwind and climbed east. The wind indicator started climbing. By 7500 ft it showed 90 kts. Higher than forcast. Glass smooth. Until I got north of FQD. Have not been scared like that in a long time. Everything was flying in the cockpit and the aircraft was barely in my control. I was rapidly thinking about actions if I went inverted. I'm not trained for aerobatics. Fortunately, it dissipated. Seemed like forever.
The worst was last year. With the GPS integration we have now, we get a direct reading of wind. I took off north into a common 15 to 20ish knot headwind and climbed east. The wind indicator started climbing. By 7500 ft it showed 90 kts. Higher than forcast. Glass smooth. Until I got north of FQD. Have not been scared like that in a long time. Everything was flying in the cockpit and the aircraft was barely in my control. I was rapidly thinking about actions if I went inverted. I'm not trained for aerobatics. Fortunately, it dissipated. Seemed like forever.
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