does wind affect the red arrows?!

[loltolhurst]

am seeing the red arrows tonight hopefully but its v v v gusty / windy here - they wont cancel it for that will they? do they fly to fast to be bothered or is it too dangerous to do close flying?

[speed_monkey]

not an issue for the planes but the smoke trails wont be as 'straight' or defined due to the wind.

HTH

[lazyitus]

speed_monkey said:

not an issue for the planes but the smoke trails wont be as 'straight' or defined due to the wind.

HTH

I'd beg to differ. If it's too windy, they won't fly.

Maybe Eric Mc can give us the definitive answer ?

ERIC

[Famous Graham]

They have a few routines based on cloud base, weather etc. So they'll still display but it might not be as extensive.

[speed_monkey]

lazyitus said:

speed_monkey said:

not an issue for the planes but the smoke trails wont be as 'straight' or defined due to the wind.

HTH

I'd beg to differ. If it's too windy, they won't fly.

Maybe Eric Mc can give us the definitive answer ?

ERIC

Ahem, Ex RAF here ad have worked with the Reds extensively and the above post is correct. There are different routines for different circumstances. HOWEVER like you say if it is TOO windy ie gale force winds then no they wont fly.

[CraigW]

i'd get your coat lazyitus

[john_p]

Cloudbase predicted relatively low so you won't get the full display - it'll be the flatter one.

Bring an umbrella

[Eric Mc]

Wind can be a big issue for formation aerobatic teams. You don't want a sudden gust throwing you sideways when your wingtip is only a metre away from another aircraft.

[lazyitus]

speed_monkey said:

lazyitus said:

speed_monkey said:

not an issue for the planes but the smoke trails wont be as 'straight' or defined due to the wind.

HTH

I'd beg to differ. If it's too windy, they won't fly.

Maybe Eric Mc can give us the definitive answer ?

ERIC

Ahem, Ex RAF here ad have worked with the Reds extensively and the above post is correct. There are different routines for different circumstances. HOWEVER like you say if it is TOO windy ie gale force winds then no they wont fly.

craigW said:

i'd get your coat lazyitus

Don't think so.

[eharding]

If the crosswinds are out of limits at whichever runway they're staging into this may well cause them to divert somewhere else and generally mess up the schedule.

As you can see here...

http://tinyurl.com/kteyzp

...today they will mostly be hooning about between Norwich and Exeter:

TAF EGSH 280801Z 2809/2818 25016KT 9999 FEW030 TEMPO 2809/2818 26020G30KT 6000 SHRA PROB40 TEMPO 2811/2818 4000 +SHRA=


TAF EGTE 280800Z 2809/2818 25014KT 9999 SCT030 TEMPO 2809/2818 27018G28KT PROB40 TEMPO 2809/2816 7000 SHRA=

So scattered chunks of unpleasantness around, but the winds seem to be pretty much down the runways at Norwich (27) and Exeter(26).

[dcw@pr]

loltolhurst said:

am seeing the red arrows tonight hopefully but its v v v gusty / windy here - they wont cancel it for that will they? do they fly to fast to be bothered or is it too dangerous to do close flying?

where are you seeing them? they just flew over my house

[speedtwelve]

There are wind limit criteria for fast-jet flying, aside from runway crosswind component as mentioned, and it's a parachute limit. If one of the boys or girls has to step outside, then they don't want to be hitting the ground in the chute with a 40knot+ groundspeed.

Aircraft don't 'see' wind, as they are flying within the moving air mass anyway. If you're flying at 100 knots into a 50 knot wind, the airspeed is still 100 knots (but you'll only be moving at 50 knots over the ground) etc. I've had light aircraft flying backwards with respect to a ground observer by slowing down to 50kts or so at height when the headwind has been Hurricane Hilda.

Strong wind doesn't always mean an increase in turbulence either. Wind becoming turbulent due to having to move over/round hills, buildings etc can make it bumpy at low-level, but higher up turbulence is often a function of the rate at which wind speed/direction changes in the various layers as you climb. I've flown up in 200 knot winds at altitude where it was as smooth as a baby's bum.

[RDE]

I seem to remember from reading The Red Arrows: A Year in the Life that one of the considerations with high winds is; what happens if a pilot has to abandon the aircraft for any reason?

If the wind is 40mph and you're hanging under a 'chute, your feet will be touching the ground doing 40, which probably wouldn't be fun.


ETA: Oh. It seems i've more or less copied the post above. Even down to the speed given as an example!

Edited by RDE on Friday 28th August 18:00

[fid]

eharding said:

If the crosswinds are out of limits at whichever runway they're staging into this may well cause them to divert somewhere else and generally mess up the schedule.

As you can see here...

http://tinyurl.com/kteyzp

...today they will mostly be hooning about between Norwich and Exeter:

TAF EGSH 280801Z 2809/2818 25016KT 9999 FEW030 TEMPO 2809/2818 26020G30KT 6000 SHRA PROB40 TEMPO 2811/2818 4000 +SHRA=


TAF EGTE 280800Z 2809/2818 25014KT 9999 SCT030 TEMPO 2809/2818 27018G28KT PROB40 TEMPO 2809/2816 7000 SHRA=

So scattered chunks of unpleasantness around, but the winds seem to be pretty much down the runways at Norwich (27) and Exeter(26).

That doesn't tie up very well with where I saw them this evening!

[eharding]

fid said:

That doesn't tie up very well with where I saw them this evening!

Where was that?

[Goliath205]

I would imagine wind would affect them like any normal person, if it was a really potent one they may even pass out.....

[dcw@pr]

eharding said:

fid said:

That doesn't tie up very well with where I saw them this evening!

Where was that?

When I saw the they would have been pretty much on a heading from Norwich to Exeter. According to their website today they were displaying in Clacton

[Dogwatch]

Goliath205 said:

I would imagine wind would affect them like any normal person, if it was a really potent one they may even pass out.....

That's terrible!